Mind, Body, and Soul
by LexLogikk
Summary: An entire clan is wiped out in the dead of night, fire rising into the sky. Two girls are all that are left of their family. They need someone to fix them. And when they fall in love... a family secret is revealed. T, but M eventually. SasuxOCxNeji KibaxOCxGaara.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: You would know if I owned Naruto, because it would really suck. Haha.**

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Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By: LexLogikk**

**Prologue**

_Third Person Point of View_

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"Oi! Come here and look at this."

"Do you see that, too?"

"Oh my God!"

It was the middle of the night. The sky was alight with a fire in the distance, the smell of smoke in the air. It was October 10th, the five year anniversary of the Kyuubi attacking Konoha. The same red sky was visible for miles.

"Get the Hokage! There are children on the path!" the guard shouted to his partner before scurrying over the wall to get over to the young girls stumbling away from the fire.

The two toddlers would stumble from time to time, each holding onto each other for support. Both of the little girls' knees buckled just moments before the guard reached them, the blonde and brunette heads of hair hitting the ground with a _thump_.

The guard got them into his arms, holding them so that they hung over his shoulders. The Hokage appeared before him. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, sir. These two just collapsed. I think they came from the fire back there," the guard replied.

The Hokage looked at the children in the shinobi's arms, with the clothes and faces bloodied. The youngest one had tears staining her face, though it was the oldest one who looked more traumatized- she was having spasms in her sleep, her face pained. "I will take them from here. Gather some men and head to the flame. Figure out what happened."

The guard nodded, handing the Hokage the children and darting back over the Village walls before reappearing with three others, racing towards the fire that was licking at the sky.

The Hokage quickly got the young girls to the hospital, calling for a medic ninja to watch over them and alert him when they woke. The med nin nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

He rubbed his temple when he reached his office. He wished that he could be still in his bed, sleeping soundly like men of his advanced age should be doing at this time of night. But he soon heard a knock on his door and called for the person on the other side to enter.

Kakashi Hatake stepped inside the room. "It was a massacre. The whole lot of them were dead, save for those little girls you found."

"Who were they?" the Hokage inquired, though he thought he already knew.

"The Chiaki clan. Every single one of them."

The Hokage nodded, placing his head on his hands, calculating. The Chiaki clan was strictly a clan of Konoha, and had always been. They simply preferred to live outside of the Village walls, so that they might wander to have their children born in a certain place. The Chiaki clan was very abnormal, with their kekkei genkai being nothing like that of other clans. Where most families had a set clan trait that all their members could use (or none at all, in the cases of some,) the Chiaki clan had varying gifts among them. It all depended on where the baby was born. Born under the hot Suna skies, you were likely to have a baby with fire techniques, whereas a baby born on the shores of the Lightning Village would more than likely have a talent for water jutsu. Being born nowhere special typically ended up with increased levels of chakara and far better control of it, or the baby having no power as a shinobi whatsoever.

Losing that clan was a blow to Konoha. Many of the Village's best shinobi were of that bloodline. The Hokage knew that he would have to get his ass working his Chuunin and Genin harder so he might promote them to a higher rank.

"Sir, there was one body missing from the massacre."

The Hokage looked up at Kakashi, his left eye covered by his headband. The Jounin ran a hand through his hair. "We don't yet know who it is. But we do know that all of the Chiaki clan was at the site for a clan festival that night. We suspect that the murderer was of the Chiaki clan."

This caused the older shinobi to frown in dismay. Betrayal was something he did not tolerate well. "Find out who it is, and make him or her a S-class wanted shinobi. Whoever did this is not only rogue against their clan and their village, but incredibly powerful. Make sure everyone knows to be on guard. The killer might come to the Village tonight to wreak more havoc."

Kakashi nods. "Yes, sir. We should know who is responsible by morning, if not sooner."

Just then, another, quieter knock sounds from the door. A nurse sticks her head inside the door. "Excuse me. Hokage-sama wanted us to alert him of the children's waking."

The old man nods to her. "They've awaken, then?"

"Yes, sir."

The Hokage sighs, standing. "We might find out who is responsible sooner than morning, then. Kakashi, I want you to come with."

The silver haired Jounin nods. "Right."

~*~

The young blonde opens her green eyes, looking up at the ceiling off-handedly. When she surfaces fully, her body shoots upright, her eyes darting around worriedly for her little sister. Her heart rate slowed when she saw the brunette lying next to her in the bed.

Then the door opened. The little girl whimpers, wanting so badly to crawl away from the people in the doorway, but putting herself between the strangers and her sleeping sister instead.

A gentle-looking man entered the room first. He came right up to the bed, sitting in the chair next to it. The child could not see it, but he looked at her proudly. She was obviously scared out of her mind, but she still protected the younger girl sleeping next to her. "I'm not going to hurt you," he says softly, letting the truth of the words and their meaning put the soothing tone into his voice.

The child relaxes; though her body still wanted to be defensive, her mind and her heart believed the old man's every word. Her shoulders slumped.

"What's your name?"

She looked at him hesitantly before speaking. "Emi Chiaki…"

The Hokage looked at her, softly smiling. _Emi means 'smile.' I wish she could smile. She shouldn't have to look like that,_ the Hokage thinks. "Emi, who is it that is laying next to you?"

Emi looks down at the brunette. "Moeru. She's my little sister."

"How old are you?"

"I'm almost six. Moeru is just turned four a few months ago."

The Hokage's heart broke for them. They were still practically toddlers. Infants, even, in his eyes. "Emi-chan, can you tell me what happened…?"

The blonde suddenly loses her focus. Tears well up in her eyes, but she doesn't let them fall. "Nii-san… he… he k-k-kill…" she started to choke, bending over herself. "He killed everyone!" she sobbed. Still no tear fell.

"Who is your brother?"

"S-Setsu Chiaki…"

The Hokage froze. Setsu was one of his most praised Anbu. The knowledge of it being him that killed his entire clan, not to mention traumatizing his two little sisters (which he knew that Setsu loved more than anything else…) it made him sick to his stomach. Behind him, Kakashi also stiffened. Setsu was the same age as him. He'd gone to the academy with him, though they'd never been the best of friends.

The younger girl stirred in her sleep. Her lids opened to reveal eyes as red as the fire from which she'd fled. She took one look at her sister and started to bawl.

Emi turned to her with a big, sad frown, hugging her crying sister in hopes to help her. A nurse also came, wrapping her arms around the both of them in a motherly way.

Even with her sister crying in her arms, Emi did not cry.

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**So what do you think so far? The button to let me know is right there. It doesn't have to be some three-thousand word review that goes on forever. Hell, even just a sentence would be much appreciated. (: **


	2. Start Part One x Chapter One

**PART ONE

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**Disclaimer: I thought this was a**_**fan**_**fiction... my bad...

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**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter One**

_Third Person Point of View.

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The clang of metal dinned throughout the training grounds. Kunai were dappling the dirt, left forgotten there as two kunoichi sparred.

"Come on, sis! You can do better than that!"

The blonde one moved the long hair from over her shoulder, still able to parry her sister's attacks with the other hand perfectly.

The brunette frowns. They'd been practicing for hours, since the wee, early lights of dawn. She had been doing great against her older sister at first, but became more and more worn out as the day continued on. Her chakara levels were still dropping, while the blonde looked like she'd barely worked up a sweat.

Sometimes, her sister really annoyed her. It drove her up the wall how the blonde had chakara regenerating all the time, because it meant she never ran out of it. She could keep up a fight for hours on end.

And she was beautiful. She wasn't a hand-to-hand combat kind of ninja, so she didn't have the scars and rough skin that plagued most kunoichi. With her long blonde hair, striped with the color of the blue sky she loved to sit under and tan in (resulting in a silky pastel caramel color of skin) and striking green eyes… she was dropping boys to their knees left and right.

Of course, Emi had flaws, just like everyone else, even if her blonde-headed-ego wouldn't show it. When you looked at her closely, seeing past all the glamour of beauty and boldness, you could see it right there, out in the open: she was not as happy as she made herself out to be. She was a good liar, able to mask all the pain overflowing inside her. Lucky for her, nobody knew her well enough to read the sorrow on her face but her sister. That, and that everyone took for granted the armbands around her wrists.

Moeru was beautiful, as well, but put much less effort into it. She didn't fuss over her hair and her clothes. What was the point? She always got them burned, anyway: that or dirtied with grass stains and soil. Boys were always asking to spar her, and she somehow always managed getting soiled in the process of kicking their ass. Her hair, however, never seemed to tangle, unlike her sisters, which drove Emi mad with envy. Moeru had mid-length brown hair that was sun kissed, shining with a tinge of red in the light. Her fiery eyes were the envy of the all girls at the academy, sparkling with life.

Yes, the two were brilliant, but each had a hollow center they sugarcoated with chocolate and sprinkles. Add a little shinobi-training here, and a little boy-toys there… you have the perfect mask. No one ever cared to look past it. It was like sampling chocolates by taking a notch out of the shell, never bothering to go any deeper than the surface. Only this M'n'M had no chocolate inside: only air. But how were you supposed to know that until you actually took a bite of it?

More clangs rang throughout the park, bringing Moeru out of her metaphorical thoughts just in time to dodge a well-aimed jab from her sister. "You're not tired already, are you, Momo?" Emi asks with a smirk.

Moeru frowned. She hated that nickname with a passion. "Don't call me that!" she says, landing one of her right hooks in Emi's shoulder.

The blonde winces, but smiles. "Now, now. Don't let your emotions get in the way."

_Yeah. Get in the way, my ass._ Moeru thinks to herself, bringing her elbow back around to ram it into her sister's chest.

Emi arches her back outward to just barely avoid the blow, lashing out with her foot to sweep at her sister's leg.

It was always like that. One hit from one, one hit from the other, and into a five-minute period when neither make contact. They trained together far too often. It was almost a routine. Elbow to the gut, back off. Fist in the face, duck. Sweep of the legs, jump. There was a set rule of what to do to avoid anything. Good dodging practice. Bad fighting practice.

The two continued on for a while, but when the sun set below the trees, the wind started to chill their bones and they decided to call it a night.

Emi smiled, hugging her sister. "You did great. That punch to my jaw hurt…" she says, rubbing the aforementioned place softly.

"Yeah, well that kick to my shin kind of aches still, so I think we're even," Moeru counters with a smirk.

The blonde grins. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll see you later." She hops off into the trees, leaving her sister standing there. Moeru frowned.

"Yeah. Nice goodbye you got there," she mutters to herself. Sighing, she jumps away from the training grounds, headed towards her favorite place in Konoha.

Ichiraku's.

Smiling, she lifts up the flap and ducks her head inside, her stomach bubbling happily at the welcome scent of cooking ramen. "Hello sir!" she calls to the old man behind the counter.

Ichiraku looks up. "Back again, Moeru-san? I assume you'll have the usual?"

The brunette grins. She nods. "Yeah, the usual sounds good." She takes a seat in the middle of the counter.

The old man nods. "Right on it." He turns to the pot behind him, getting everything he needed together. "You training with Emi-chan again?" he asks, not turning to her.

Moeru laughs. "Whom else would I be training with?"

She could see him smirk from his half-turned face as he reached for a bit of dough to make the noodles from. "Just curious. Aren't you supposed to be getting a team soon?"

The brunette nods again, though she knew he couldn't see it. "Yeah. Two weeks. Can you believe it?" She laughs. "I'm the youngest in the group, too. Everyone else is thirteen." _Then again, Emi is fourteen, and she's graduating in the same group as I am. I can't believe they're making her graduate late. But I can't believe they're letting me graduate a year early, so…_

"Hard to believe that you're only twelve, that's for sure. You're taller than Naruto is."

Moeru really chuckled at that. She and Naruto often ran into each other at Ichiraku's; she was, indeed, taller than he was, and reminded him as such rather often, just as a joke.

Ichiraku set the bowl of ramen down in front of her. "Want me to start on the next one?" he asks, knowing she would say yes.

"If you could, that would be great." She smiles joyously.

He laughs and nods. "Alrighty, then." He turns and leaves her to her meal.

Moeru rubs her hands together in anticipation before breaking open her chopsticks. After rolling them together to clean them of splinters, she cries, "Itadakimasu!" and digs in.

Just as she got through her fourth bowl, someone sits down beside her. A high-pitched bark calls her to look. "Hey, Moeru-chan."

She looks up to find Kiba Inuzuka there, Akamaru perched on top of his head. She smiles. "Hey, Kiba!" Her hand finds its way up to pat Akamaru's head. "How are you guys doing?"

"Not bad. Mom's been having me train extra since graduation is coming up soon. I'm kinda getting tired of it."

Moeru laughs. "Nothing wrong with training all day. You could use some hardcore drills if you ever want to beat me." She grins, starting on her fifth bowl of ramen.

"Ha-ha. You know I let you win."

"Maybe the first time. The second time, you just couldn't beat me."

Kiba frowns, but Akamaru barks, happily amused. Instead of retorting, he orders himself a bowl, too. "So how about you? You been training all day again?"

Moeru snorts. "Emi's turning into quite the whip-wielder. She won't leave me alone. She's so worried that she won't pass the graduation exam, so she's having me train with her practically twenty-four seven. I personally think we're both going to do fine."

Kiba smirks. "Yeah. You're right up there with me and Sasuke. Emi isn't doing too bad herself. You two will do fine."

"I think Emi actually got Sasuke to go out with her." Moeru smiles to herself. Her blonde-headed sister had had her eyes set on Sasuke for months now. It made Moeru happy that she'd finally gotten something good out of being annoyingly good-looking.

Kiba laughs. "Really, now? What'd she do to make that happen? His fan-girls have been trying to get him to notice him for years."

"I think she started out by not stalking him."

The two grin at each other. Kiba had been spending a lot of time with Emi ever since he and Moeru became a couple. He knew Emi would be more up front about it. Moeru knew Emi would just tell Sasuke she liked him, flirt a little, and leave it at that, making Sasuke come to her.

Moeru sighed, pushing away the seventh bowl and smiling contentedly.

"All done?" Ayame asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah… I'm not really hungry today." Lies and slander. She just didn't want to seem like a pig in front of Kiba.

Ayame nodded and picked up the bowl. The old man gave her the bill, with a 200yen discount that she, as a frequent customer, got. She paid it and waited a few minutes, talking with Kiba until he finished his bowl. Once he'd paid for his meal, they stood up and exited the stall, saying goodnight to Ayame and the old man.

Kiba grinned at her. "Need someone to walk home with?"

She thought for a moment then shook her head. "I'm not going straight home, so I think I'm good."

He smiled and hugged her. "Okay. Good night, then, Moeru-chan."

"G'night." She hugs back softly before turning away, waving at him as she headed for her special hiding place.

It was deep within the woods of Konoha, and extremely hard to find if you didn't know where it was already. She'd found it as a kid, playing Hide-and-Seek with her sister, stumbling upon it by chance. It was a pond, not very deep or wide-across, but always very still, with a silky-smooth reflection. Fireflies danced through the air during spring and summer nights, setting the surface of the water aglow with light.

She sat at the edge of the water, the fireflies flitting around her, smiling at the peaceful beauty.

Her heart soared at the sight of fireflies.

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**Review? (:**


	3. Chapter Two

**Mind, Body, and Soul **

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Two**

_Third Person Point of View_

**Disclaimer: I thought this was a _fan_fiction.**

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Emi left the training ground in a hurry, her mind filled with a certain purpose. Her normal long, leisurely shower had no place in her head, getting in and out in record timing. After ten minutes of gussying up, she was out the door, searching for someone in particular. It was hard to find him, what with his hair and shirt mixing with the colors of the night, but soon prevailed, spotting the raven hair and white shorts she'd looked for.

"Hiya, Sasuke!" she called as she hopped down from her perch on top of the building, landing a few meters away from him. She smiled flirtatiously. "How's it going?"

He raised his eyebrow at her and said nothing, but did at least stop moving, though there would be plenty of room to walk around her.

"Hmmm…?" Emi quirked her eyebrows right back at him, her head tilting to the side insistently.

He sighed completely silently, knowing she'd keep doing the annoying, 'hmm?' until he answered her. "I'm fine. What do you want, Chiaki?"

She smiled triumphantly. "Ouch. We do go to school together, Sasuke. You could at least call me Emi," she teased.

_Why do I deal with this girl?_ he asked himself impatiently, rolling his eyes. "Fine. Emi. What the hell do you want?"

"Ouch again. Language, Sasuke-kun." She muted a giggle. "I just thought you'd like to join me for lunch tomorrow."

"And why would you assume that?" he challenged.

She flashed a wide grin. "Because I'm the only girl that doesn't stalk you, and you know it."

He frowned, knowing she was right… for the most part. "Then how is it you found me just now?" He raised his eyebrow again.

"Just lucky, I guess." She grinned, hiding perfectly any hint of it being a lie. _It's kind of the truth… I didn't say that I _wasn't_ looking for him. And I did get lucky. How the hell is _anyone_ supposed to find him at night like that?_

Even the great Uchiha couldn't see past the half-truth to the fib underneath. He sighed more audibly.

"So... you'll go to lunch with me?" She grinned, knowing she'd won.

"Fine. Whatever."

Her smile glowed with victory. She'd gotten _the_ Sasuke Uchiha to go out with her. _Hell yeah!_ she thought. "Okay then. Meet you here at noon." She winked. "See ya', Sasuke-kun!" She jumped off and, upon reaching her home, squealed excitedly. The girls at the academy would shit when they found out, but Emi hardly cared. She had a date with the hottest guy in Konoha. She knew there was the possibility that he would just not show up, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't do that, even if she'd annoyed him into the date. He never actually said he'd come, after all.

But still. Something inside her knew he'd show anyway.

~#~

She arrived there ten minutes early to ensure that if he did indeed come that he wouldn't have to wait. She reminded herself that it was only lunch and that it'd be inappropriate to dress up extra special, so she settled for her normal attire of a midriff tanktop and shorts, her many kunai and shuriken holsters wrapped around her arms and legs. She figured if lunch went well, she'd invite him to spar. See if they're as evenly matched as they seem to be in class, or if he's holding back like she is.

She strangled a squeal when she saw the black hair appear from behind the top of the hill. Two minutes to noon, and he was two minutes away. That kid had impeccable timing.

She smiles as he reaches her. "Hey, Sasuke-kun."

He nods, not frowning but not smiling. "Emi."

"Please," she says with a small laugh, "call me Emi-chan."

He sighs softly. "Right. Emi-chan." The corners of his mouth lift upward ever so slightly.

She grins. "Anywhere in particular you wanted to go, or are you impartial as I suspect you are?"

"I don't care."

She laughs to herself. _How did I know?_ "Okay, then. There's a small teashop just a few blocks away, if you're okay with that. Not a whole lot of people will be there, even during lunch hour."

He shrugs but wonders to himself why she wasn't taking him somewhere big where everyone would see them as he follows her by her side.

She talked lightly, commenting about graduation and just random shinobi topics. She didn't _force_ him to take part in the conversation, but often left open a space for him to comment if he so wished. Eventually, he started adding his own tidbits here and there, causing Emi to smile happily. He found that, though she talked most of the walk over there, it wasn't the type of talking that people just naturally droned out: when she said something, people wanted to listen. Why, he had no idea. They just _did_. 'They' included him, for some odd, unknown reason.

The teashop was, indeed, small, with little traffic going in and out. It was mostly elderly folk who looked like they were friends of the owners and people who seemed to desperately need peace and quiet. She led him to a table in the corner, away from the windows, smiling at the old woman as she came up to them. "Ahh, Emi-chan, how are you? I see you brought a friend."

She smiles gently. "I'm doing good. This is my friend Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, this is Daiko Mitari."

Sasuke nods to her. "It's nice to meet you, Mitari-san."

"And you, as well, Uchiha-san."

Emi smiles. "So… can I have my usual?"

Daiko smiles. "Of course. And what would you like, Uchiha-san?"

He shrugs. "I'll just have what she's having."

The woman nods. "Two fried rice, coming right up." She smiles at the blonde before turning and walking away.

Sasuke looks around the restaurant to avoid looking at the girl in front of him. It was more dimly lit than other places he'd been to, resulting in a mellower atmosphere, with paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and soft, wordless music playing in the background.

Emi thinks about talking to him again, but somehow finds the peaceful silence of words reverent, sacred, and instead closes her eyes, enjoying the smell of flowers and the soft images the music painted for her.

Sasuke finally looked at her when he saw her close her eyes from the corner of his eyes. His mind wondered why she wasn't trying to talk his ear off, insisting he say things back to her, but then remembered that she probably was different than Ino and Sakura and all of the others. She hadn't forced him to say anything today, and she could probably appreciate silence as much as he could.

Her green eyes opened then, and she smiled at him. "So… nervous about graduation at all?"

He raised his eyebrow, as if to say, 'do I need to?'

She grins. "You probably shouldn't be. But still... I mean, I probably shouldn't be worried. But I still am."

He rolls his eyes, debating in an instance whether or not to say anything before finally deciding to say it anyway. "I doubt you have much to worry about."

She smiles softly. "Wow. That's probably the nicest thing you've said to me in eight years. Thank you."

He almost raises his eyebrows at her again, but manages to stop himself. "You're welcome."

Daiko brought them their food, setting it down in front of them with a soft smile before scurrying back behind the counter.

Emi grins down at the plate, breaking open the chopsticks and rolling them together in the palms of her hands to clean them. "Itadakimasu!" The moment the first grain of rice touches her tongue, her smile increases tenfold.

Sasuke studied her curiously. She wasn't acting like he'd expected her to. He'd thought she would probe him with countless questions and wouldn't take silence for an answer, but she instead simply left room in the conversation for him with no strings attached. He thought she'd drag him to some restaurant where everyone would see them together (God forbid) and let everyone know about it, but she instead picked a small place where nobody would notice them. He thought she'd hardly touch her food, far too embarrassed to consume anything in any hurry for the fear of looking like a pig, but instead treated herself to it as if he wasn't there watching her at all.

He kind of liked knowing she wasn't the standard model of fan girl. She was just… herself, he guessed. She wasn't going out of her way to make him like her or following him home. He found it curiously amusing how she pointed it out to him. It was almost as if she'd really said something else… something more along the lines of, 'I'm the only one that interests you,' rather than, 'I'm the only one that doesn't try to get in your pants.'

And the food was splendid. That was just an automatic plus, as Sasuke had annoyingly found that his appetite had been growing over the past few weeks.

Emi smiled at him after a few bites. "How is it?"

He couldn't help but smile softly. "Not bad."

She let out a soft breath. "I'm glad you like it."

He smirked. "This place is actually pretty good. It's quiet. I like that."

_Wow. I think that's the most he ever said at one point in time,_ Emi thought as she smiles. "Yeah. Daiko and her husband have been working this place for years. It's a nice place to go when you need to escape the world."

"Yeah. It is," he agreed.

~#~

They spent a while talking, more coming from Emi than from Sasuke, as would be expected, before parting ways, agreeing to meet up for a sparring session the next day. Emi smiled, waving to him before turning to head to the forests west of the teashop. It was a short walk, ten minutes tops, as the little restaurant was on the edge of the village.

She walked through the trees absentmindedly, headed nowhere in particular. Once she was sufficiently encompassed by the trees, she climbed atop one, making her way up through the canopy to a break in the branches of the trees for a few meters around. If you made it there at just the right time of day, you could see butterflies flitting from place to place, a majority of them just resting their wings. Emi had been there so many times, just to see them fly, that they stopped flying away when she appeared.

It was a beautiful place. There wasn't just one kind of butterfly there, but a plethora of different shades, shapes, and sizes, all staying together in artistic harmony. The clashing colors didn't really _clash_ at all, but instead painted an ever-changing and abstract picture for her to gaze her fill at.

She smiled gingerly. Her mind was filled with the visage of butterflies.

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**I'm not really expecting a whole lot of people to read this, so... for the few of you who do, could you please leave a review? (:**

**Domo arigatou goziamasu!**

**Dai ai,**

**LexLogikk(:**


	4. Chapter Three

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Heyy, long time no see? Haha, yeah, I know. But here's the third chapter of Mind, Body, and Soul. The fourth chapter is already on the way, and should be done by the next time I have an off period. Which is Thursday. So look forward to it(:

Disclaimer: Again, I say, "This is a _fan_fiction." Again, I say, "My name is not Misashi Kishimoto." And again, I say, "I'm not making any money off this. Just the moral satisfaction of writing something I enjoy."

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Chapter Three of Mind, Body, and Soul

"Do you know what the test is going to be like?"

"No. But I heard Chiigo telling Naomi that we had to fight already graduated Genin to pass!"

"I heard we had to fight each other!"

"Fight each other? Are you serious?"

"Oh man... I hope I'm put against one of the girls..."

"Dude, no you don't! What if you get one of the sisters?"

"Yeah, man. You'd be screwed. Hope you get put with Naruto."

"I think we all hope we'll get paired with Naruto..."

The classroom was alive with this incessant chattering. Some of the students were excited, but most of them were just nervous, though they definitely had every right to be. They were about to take a test to see if they were worthy of the title 'Genin'. The graduation test was upon them.

Emi sat in the front of the room, as was usual, but was chewing anxiously on her fingernails. Moeru, who sat by her side, finally grabbed her sister's hands, pulling them away from her mouth. "Emi, stop it. You're going to do fine." The blonde glances over, knowing that her sister was right, but still feels the rock in the pit of her stomach. "Besides," Moeru continues, "Biting your nails won't make you a better shinobi."

No argument there.

Emi sighs. "You're probably right... but I just can't get over my nerves, you know?"

Her sister smiles. "Don't worry about it. Just think of something else."

"Like what?"

Moeru shrugs with a smile playing at her lips. "I don't know. You'll think of something."

She sighs again. "I just wish that sensei would hurry up!" she groans indignantly. "The test was supposed to start at eight..."

"Em... it's still ten minutes to eight."

The green eyes flit over to where the clock hung on the wall. "Oh..."

Moeru laughs, though she tried not to, at her sister. "Oh, Emi..."

"Emi!"

Both girls look over, towards the sound, and both girls groan simultaneously. "Great..." Moeru says.

"Shit," Emi murmurs, just as she lays her head in her hands. _This is not going to be fun... I'll be lucky if I make it to the test..._

There, in the doorway, was a ravenous Ino, Sakura at her side, and a few other of Sasuke's fan girls trailing behind them. They all stomp over to where the two sisters sat, each wearing a look of disapproval, but an intense curiosity and a smidgen of hope lived in their eyes. "Is it true?" Ino demands, though her tone was slightly softer than Emi had expected.

"It what true?" she asks, with a great pang of annoyance ringing in her voice.

"Is it true that you went out with Sasuke yesterday?" Sakura repeats.

Emi groans, turning away. "Look -"

"The whole class was _buzzing_ about it! Everyone keeps saying he took you to a five star restaurant and bought you a dress and then you two made out!" Sakura continues. "I can't believe it!"

"What?" Emi looks over to her sister. "Who said that?" Moeru represses the smirk she longed to show at the sight of the wheels turning in her sister's head. Both of them look up to the fangirl mob. "He certainly did not buy me a dress."

The girls all gasp. "But he took you someplace fancy? And you guys made out?" Ino's eyes are wide as she awaits Emi's answer.

Emi can't help but chortle. "Ino, you're an insufferable gossip. No, Sasuke and I did not go to any fancy restaurant, and no, we have never kissed each other. Honestly, he acts as if I don't exist, most of the time."

Out of the corner of her eye, Emi swears she sees Sasuke smirking in the back of the classroom.

"Oh, well then... I guess that we're all good..." Ino blushes. "Sorry... it's just..."

"Yes, I know, Ino, and I understand." Emi smiles at her.

"But, uhm... we'll still hang out tomorrow?"

"You know it."

"'Kay... bye." Ino offers her friend one last smile before pushing all of the other girls away from the table.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Emi and Moeru burst out into a fit of giggles. "Man..." Moeru starts. "You were an inch from death back there..."

"I know! I can't believe I talked my way out of it. If the rumor hadn't gotten blown up like that... I probably would have had to confess, wouldn't I?"

Moeru smirks some more. "Yeah, probably. It's a good thing that you're good with word choice, isn't it?"

"Definitely." Emi glances over to Sasuke, who was sitting in the back corner like normal. He gives her a nod, a small, but easily recognizable as entertained, smile on his face, and she knew that was his small 'thank you.'

She smiled even brighter, her worries almost gone.

Of course, then Iruka walked into the classroom. "Class," he says, commanding the attention of the entire room. "We're going to begin the Graduation Exam in five minutes. Please, use this time to review any notes you have with you, as you might be tested on any of them."

Emi frowns, and goes to bite her nails again, but Moeru beat her to the punch, restraining the hands again. "Em, just chill, alright? Look over your notes."

"I've memorized them."

_Oh, that's right... I helped her do that last night..._

"Then meditate, alright? Just stop think until you hear Iruka call your name."

"That could be hours!"

Moeru smiles. "A few hours of meditation could prove to be good for your discipline, Emi."

Her blonde sister sighs, but easily sees her sister's point. "Right..."

Moeru hugs her tightly. "Just in case I go before you wake up, here's a hug for good luck."

Emi smirks and hugs back. "Good luck to you, too, Momo."

"Thanks, Em."

o0o0o0o0o

Five minutes later, Iruka started to call names. Emi's eyes popped open only once, to look at Iruka as he announced the start of the test. Chouji was called first, she heard, but after they left and the room fell into an anxious, almost frightened silence, Emi closed her eyes and fell away from the world entirely.

Moeru glanced around, assessing what she knew, and tried to use logic to figure out what the test would be. Or, at least, figure out what the test_ wouldn't_ be.

_It can't be a student-against-student battle... he only calls one person at a time. It's unlikely he'll have us fight him... but we still might have to fight real Genin. However, I don't think that's going to be the case. Even they would probably out of our league. There could be any number of other tactical or practical tests... vital points, accuracy, assessing advantages and weaknesses probably at the top..._

"Chiaki, Emi," Iruka calls, and the blonde's eyes snap open. She glances back at her sister for just a moment before following after her teacher, walking out of the room and into the hall.

Iruka looks over to her once the door closes, and they start to head down the hall. "Are you nervous?" he asks.

She glances at him. "Yes, I am." She didn't really see a point in lying about it.

"Don't be. You'll be fine."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but I still can't believe it."

He smiles comfortingly. "Maybe it's because you need to hear yourself say it." He stops in front of a door at the end of the hall, the door that was always locked. "Go on," he says. "Say it."

Emi can't help but snicker. "I'm going to be fine."

"Atta girl."

_He's right... it feels good to say that,_ she thinks, beaming.

"Now," Iruka says, pushing open the door. "Prove it.

o0o0o0o0o

Moeru glances around the classroom. _Just a handful of us left._ Iruka came back, calling out Shikamaru, Kiba, Sakura, Ino... Finally, it was just her and Naruto. She moved across the room to sit by him. "Hey," she says. "How are you doing?"

He shrugs. "I dunno. I just want to go take the test. Know what I mean?"

"I sure do," she murmurs.

"We've been her for an hour. Why couldn't we take the test at the same time?" Naruto asks her.

She also gives him a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know. Guess to give us privacy. If someone fails, Iruka-sensei wouldn't want it to be in front of everyone, even if everyone will eventually figure it out."

He nods. "Iruka-sensei is nice like that."

Iruka appears in the doorway, and from the look of his smile, Moeru was sure he heard what Naruto said. "Chiaki, Moeru," he says. "You're up."

Moeru smiles at her friend. "See you at the Graduation Party?"

Naruto beams. "Believe it!"

The brunette chuckles as she heads out the door. Iruka leads her down the hall, stopping in front of the same door he had stopped in front of so many times that day. "You ready for this, Moeru?"

"Yes, sensei."

He nods, pats her shoulder, and brings her inside.

Moeru's intensely curious eyes peer around the room, searching for anything that could hint towards her test. But inside, there was nothing. Literally. The room was bare from wall to wall, from wooden flooring to ceiling, except for the standard blackboard that marked the front of the room and a few windows.. "Sensei... why isn't there anything here?" she asks, confused.

Iruka moved to stand in front of the black board, and motioned for her to stand in front of him. She obeyed without question, standing a few feet away from him. "Moeru, your test for today is as follows: you have to..."

_I have to what? What do I have to do?_ she thinks anxiously.

"You have to make three clones."

She has to actively stop her jaw from dropping. "_That's_ it? I have to make _clones_?"

He smirks. "Just do it, Moeru."

She shakes off her shock. "With pleasure." Forming the appropriate hand signs, she performs the cloning jutsu, and three clones form in front of her, each a perfect remake of herself.

He nods. "Very good, Moeru."

She shakes her head. "That's honestly the whole test?"

"Honestly."

She laughs a hearty laugh. "Emi was freaking out for nothing."

"Yes, she was." They both smirk. "Congratulations, Moeru. You passed the Graduation Exam. You are now, officially, a Genin."

Moeru can't help herself. She launches herself at Iruka in a hug. "Thank you, sensei!"

He grins, pulling out the second to last Konoha headband in his pouch and presents it to Moeru. "There you go," he says.

Her eyes sparkle as she places it on her forehead. "Again, thank you."

"It was my pleasure."

She bows respectively, only barely managing to wipe the smile off her face long enough for it.

"Now, you will be contacted by your new sensei by the end of the day, telling you where you are to meet him or her, as well as the rest of your team. Make sure you're on time."

"Of course, sensei. I'm _always_ on time."

o0o0o0o0o

Moeru practically skips into the room, bringing a smile to her sister's face. "So about that test... I don't think I've ever had such a hard time passing. I think I actually broke a sweat, there," she jokes.

Her sister throws herself on to Emi's bed, beaming up at the ceiling. "I can't believe how easy it was."

"A little _too_ easy, if you ask me. I mean, yeah, I was freaking out because I thought it was going to be insanely, retardedly difficult, but I at least wanted a challenge."

"Hey, there are people that would be a challenge for," Moeru says.

"Making clones? Like who?"

"Like..." Moeru sits up, suddenly very nervous. "Like Naruto..."

Emi glances over, knowing exactly what her sister meant. "Oh... right. But Naruto's a great ninja. The only reason he's at the bottom of the class is because he doesn't do his work... or loses it. I'm sure he did fine." But she wasn't sure. She just hoped.

"I guess you're probably right... but we'll have to find out tomorrow..."

"It's going to be a long night, isn't it?"

"Definitely."

* * *

**Please review? I'd like some constructive criticism, just because I like knowing how my writing can grow, but I'd feel really warm and bubbly inside if you just told me how much you like it. Or don't like it. But, you know... whatever. Haha(:**


	5. Chapter Four

**Heya guys! Haha uhhm, yeah, nothing to say here, really, I just feel weird without putting in something here. Uhhm, I'm currently uploading at almost like two in the morning, and I honestly haven't edited this yet because I'm truthfully too arrogant and currently too attached to every word written to be able to change anything for the better right now (and also far too tired.) So yeahh, if it's some bullshit, it's totally my bad.**

**Uhhm, you get to meet two new characters in this chapter. Yama Tomi, their Jounin, and Iyasu Oka, their other teammate. Yeah, I totally came up with their jutsu's on the fly, and I'm aware that they are _probably_ Mary Sue and Gary Stew, but you know what? Whatever. They're really only in existence because it's easier to create new characters than to rework the world so that already-made, cannon characters are on their team, and they're not even close to the main characters of the story, so I don't really give a flying you-know-what if they're over-powered. I mean, what Naruto character isn't? xDD**

**Annnndddd yeahh. Please review. Up to date, this only has like some 300 hits, meaning it's really not that popular, meaning that it doesn't get the reviews that keep my love of writing going on or make my writing any better. So the few of you that read this... please, please, please... tell me SOMETHING about it. Even just pointing out simple grammar mistakes, things like "he was are" or something. Anything is appreciated. And I know it's not hard to press the review button. I've done it many a time(;**

**But more importantly than reviewing... please just enjoy what I've worked very hard in Scrivener on. :D**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Four**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

Moeru looked down at the paper in her hand that she had found the night before, taped to her window. "You and your sister will meet with the rest of your team tomorrow morning at 10:30AM at training ground four. Be prepared for training." Then, she glanced at her watch. _Ten twenty-seven. They should be here soon._

She looked over to Emi when she saw her sister's hand raise to point out into the distance. Moeru's dark reddish brown eyes follow her sister's arm and finger, to see a boy walking toward them. She looked closely as the boy soon turned out to be none other than Iyasu Oka, the boy who was more plain than even Sakura. As she remembered, he was neither impressive with taijutsu or excessively intelligent. He was not particularly talented with nin or genjutsu, and didn't even have much going for him in the looks department, with plain brown hair and even more plain clothing. His one and only striking feature was his eyes, colored a mystic golden color. The only mystery about him was whether or not his eyes had any special properties - know one knew for sure, though Moeru suspected that they didn't.

"Good morning," he said as her approached the two girls. "Sensei's not here yet, eh?"

Moeru glanced down at her watch again, shaking her head. "No, but she's still got a few minutes."

"Either of you know who it is?" he asks, his eyes moving back and forth between the two of them.

Emi, smirking, shrugs. "No idea." _But I hope it's Kakashi Hatake… He's so cool…_ she added mentally, though thought it better to not say aloud.

Iyasu nods, and turns his attention to his feet, rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands in his pockets as he waited for time to pass.

Several minutes pass in silence between the three new teammates. Iyasu occasionally would look up to glance at them, only to gaze off into the trees around them. But then, something happened.

Emi looked up, gazing around the field, looking for the origin of the annoying noise she swore she heard. "Do you hear that…?" she murmurs to Moeru, stepping toward where she thought the sound was coming from.

Suddenly, the popping noise that had filled Emi's ears was directly at her feet. All three of them cried out in shock as small fireworks cast up smoke around them, filling their lungs.

_Damn_, Moeru thought. _I can't see a thing._

The three of them stood still, waiting for the smoke to clear away with the wind. Several moments passed, but when they could finally see, they realized what the ambush was - an entrance.

Standing before them was a woman that was unmistakably their new sensei.

"Good morning," she said with a smirk on her face, "Emi, Moeru, Iyasu."

Moeru looked over the woman with great scrutiny. She had long, straight black hair, pulled back into a ponytail that hung down past her waist, bangs that were rounded into longer strands that framed her face. Her face was elegant, with sharp golden-brown eyes lined with dark lashes, high cheekbones, and thin but full lips. But what got to Moeru the most was the way she was dressed; with a long white coat lined with light brown fur that was draped on her curvy body, a small red top that showed her stomach, her metal Konoha band attached to the front of it, and a small black mini skirt, there was no doubting that she was a woman of luxury. Even the metal chord that wrapped around the top of her skirt looked expensive, with engravings crawling all over the steel, though Moeru couldn't see what they were.

The woman looked back at them. _A little plain-looking, but they might have some potential,_ she thought to herself. "I am Yama Tomi, but you may call me Yama-sensei if you'd like. I will be your instructor." She couldn't help but smirk again.

"_You're_ our sensei?" Moeru asked. "You don't look like a Jounin… you don't even look like a shinobi."

Yama looked at her, her eyes almost glaring. "I would suggest you not start out your training with me on my bad side, miss Moeru Chiaki. I am very good at holding grudges." Yama sighed, running a hand through her ponytail. "I'll forgive you this time, but only on the account that there's no time to lose. It's time you all began your training."

Moeru frowned but nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. _I still don't think she looks suited for battle. She looks like she belongs at a nail salon._

Yama's eyes grazed over Moeru, and then Emi and Iyasu a second time, analyzing them carefully. "First off… I need to assess what you are capable of. So, to do this…" She grins. "Come at me with everything you've got."

They all looked at her with what she saw was skepticism, but also excitement. "Everything we've got?" Iyasu asks.

Yama nodded "We could fight one at a time, or you three could team up. It makes no difference to me." Her eyes show her confidence. "I just need to know what you all can do."

Emi grinned. "It makes no difference to me, either. I'll be the first to attack, either way." As the last word left her lips, she lunges at Yama, a red chakra around her outstretched hand. _I'll get you with this._

Just as Emi's fingertips started to graze across Yama's arm, the Jounin bounded backward several yards. "I see," Yama said. "Is that a medical jutsu, miss Emi?"

The blonde smirked. "It's the opposite of healing. Degeneration," she said, just as she leapt forward, arm aiming for her sensei's arm again, this time feigning her aim and switching quickly to a lower blow when Yama's arms go up to block the blow. Her hand smashed against the bare skin of Yama's lower thigh. She could almost see the damage she'd done when Yama's hand collided with her chest, throwing her back a large distance. "Your movements are weak, Emi. There's no power in your punch." _But you're fast for a Genin. I'll give you that._ "Further more, you're too offensive. You put all of your focus into your attack, and think nothing of ever having to switch to defense, probably from a false sense of superiority gained over a period of time."

Moeru, on the sideline of the fight, had to be impressed. _She noticed all that just from two attacks?_

Yama's eyes trailed over to Iyasu. "You! You're next. Attack me."

Emi, struggling to her feet, frowned in frustration. _She doesn't even have a scratch from my Degeneration. And she could analyze my weaknesses in a manner of seconds. Is that what a Jounin is?_

Iyasu's golden eyes twinkled. "Everything we've got, right sensei?" He shut his eyes, forming the bird seal. When he opened his eyes, they were a royal purple color, rimmed with the same gold on the outside edges of the iris.

Moeru looked at him, curiosity piqued. _I've never seen that before… so the rumors actually_ were_ true… But what does it do?_

Iyasu grinned. "You're not in that great of shape, are you Yama-sensei? You've been out of practice for a of your injuries. How long were you in the hospital for?" he asked.

Yama froze, astounded. "How…?"

"The patterns in how you walk and stand, as well as the scar tissue in your left knee and elbow. The damage was extensive, was it not?"

"You can see that?" she asked, the grin returning. "Is it those eyes?"

Iyasu smiles, a small sigh escaping him. "My eyes… they're my greatest gift. Combined with keen observation, I can see the weak points in every person's body." He forms more seals: Tiger, Sheep, Bird, Sheep, Horse, Bird, and whispers, "Wind style: No-Contact Fighting," before looking back up to his sensei. "Were this a real battle, and you a real enemy, I would attack those weak points. But seeing as how you're my sensei, I'll attack your stronger points, like your calves and upper arms. The least damage will be done that way."

Yama snorts indignantly. "You talk really big for a Genin fresh from the academy. What makes you think you'll land a blow on me, weak point or strong point aside?"

Iyasu springs toward her, aiming a punch at her right arm, only to have Yama duck away. But Moeru and Emi saw the look on Yama's face: _something_ hit. Iyasu tries to hit her again, this time at her jaw, but again, his jibe was avoided. Yama's face showed acute discomfort, even pain, even though Iyasu's fist hadn't even come close to hitting her. She backs up, landing some fifty feet away. "You said 'Wind Style', didn't you? So you don't even need to make contact with your opponent to bludgeon them? You can do that with the air around them, can't you?"

Iyasu nodded. "You're spot on, as expected."

"Anything else?" Yama asked, looking him over more.

"No, I-" Iyasu cut off, mid sentence, snapping his eyes shut and holding his hands to his head. Moeru, who was standing closest to him, heard him grunt in pain. When he looked up, his normal gold eyes were back.

"Ah, you can't use your eyes for very long, can you?" Yama said, shaking her head. "It's not surprising. I was wondering when it'd drain you dry of chakra. You should rest, now." Her brown eyes looked over to Moeru. "Well, it's your turn, I guess."

Moeru nodded. "I guess."

"Are you ready, miss Moeru?" Yama's eyes narrowed.

Moeru nodded. "But I'd very much like to see what you can do, before I show you what I can do."

Yama smirked. "I had hoped that one of you would ask." She reached down, grabbing the metal band around her waist and pulling it off of her, It lashed out, lengthening itself until it looked to be almost five feet long. A humming sound filled the air, Moeru's hair standing on end as she watched the metal crackle with electricity. "Of course, I can't justify using this on any of you, even if you're damn annoying and big-mouthed, all of you, but I do love to show off my baby to others…" She whipped it around her head before lashing it at a tree. The sky went dark, then white for a moment, like when lightning strikes, and when the metal whip left the tree, Moeru saw that the tree was split in half, looking exactly how a tree looks after being struck by lightning.

"Wow…" Moeru felt herself say as she gazed at the damage her sensei had done to the tree. _That's amazing… that's what Jounin is…_

"Now," Yama said, wrapping the metal whip around her waist again. "Show me what you've got, Moeru."

The brunette shook her head quickly, shaking off her wonder and focusing again. "I won't hold back, just like you want," she said, her hands forming seal after seal. "Fire style: Fire Palm jutsu!" Flames engulfed Moeru's hands, and she punched at Yama's body in a barrage of fire.

When she finally stopped, Yama smiles. "Is that it? Are none of you long-distance fighters?" she asked. "I had hoped you'd be a little less boring."

_Not a scratch,_ Moeru noticed unhappily. She formed more seals. "Fire Style: Dragon's Claw jutsu!" She whipped her hand in Yama's direction, a slightly purplish flame springing forward from her fingertips.

Yama grinned amusedly. _Of course. One of them had to be balanced,_ the Jounin thought as she dodged out of the way of wave after wave of Moeru's purplish fire.

Moeru breathed in heavily, out of breath, ceasing her attacks. _Surely, I got her with that…_

Yama, who had been laying on the ground, apparently to get out of the danger, stood up, a bright smile on her face. "Is that all the Fire Jutsu you know?"

Moeru just groaned, collapsing to the ground. _Completely unscathed! I can't believe this!_

Yama looked around at the three of them. "That's it? Really?" She sighed. "Well that was no fun at all."

Emi rolled her eyes, but tilted her head down as she did so as to not be seen. "Tch."

"Well, if there's nothing left for any of you to show me, then I'll have to call that a day," Yama said. "You three will report here tomorrow at 8. Is that clear?"

They looked up at her. "Wait, we're done for today?" Iyasu asked. "But you haven't taught us anything. The note said-"

"Just do as I say. Take the rest of the day off," Yama said with hardened eyes. "And be grateful. I won't give you many days off. You're all dismissed."

Emi and Moeru looked at each other before they all bowed to their sensei, leaving without another word. When they were finally out of earshot, Emi grinned over to her sister and said, "Pre-Party time!"

Moeru groaned. "Can't that wait a little while…?"

Emi, beaming, shook her head. "No way, silly. Everyone in our class is coming, even Sasuke-kun. Everything has to be perfect. And perfection takes time. So we'll use the extra hours and start right away!"

Moeru sighed deeply. She was quite sure that nothing in this world was more boring that putting up party decorations.

o0o0o0o0o

The sisters had finished preparing their house for the party to come around five, leaving them with, as Emi called it, "Not nearly enough time to get ready!" Moeru watched as her sister bustled around with curling iron and straightener, eyeliner and lipstick, this dress and that dress, content with whatever clothes she'd grabbed from her closet and however her hair fell naturally. At a few minutes past seven, the first of the guests started to arrive, Kiba being among them. Though Emi was undoubtedly the host, there was an unsaid but understood agreement between the two sisters that Emi would leave Kiba to her sister, because that was just how things were between them: unsaid but understood. One by one, all of the Academy's graduating students arrived; Ino, Shino, Hinata, Chouji and Shikamaru, Naruto, Sakura, Iyasu, even. But long past eight thirty, there was still no sign of Sasuke.

Emi frowned to herself when she was sure no one was looking. _He told me he'd be here… where is he…?_

She tried to keep herself busy to keep from thinking about her disappointment, refilling food bowls and the like, but couldn't help but find the time to think about it anyway. She glanced at the clock again. It was well past nine, by then. She wandered to the front of the house, gazing out the window, hoping for some sort of sign of Sasuke.

"Looking for me?"

Emi spun around with a smile, but it dropped as soon as she saw the owner. "Oh, Ino-chan… hi."

"Why'd you stop smiling when you saw me, Emi-chan? Don't like me anymore?" Ino asked, teasing. "But Emi, you haven't spoken to me this whole time I've been here. You're starting to make me think you're mad at me for something." Ino's eyes showed genuine worry over the topic.

Emi forced herself to smile kindly, even with the disappointment raging in her chest. "Of course I'm not mad at you, Ino. I've just been busy… being a hostess is really a full-time job," she offered.

Ino nodded, smiling with amusement. "I have noticed that you've been a little obsessive compulsive with refilling the snack bowls… you fill them up before they're even half-empty. Something on your mind?"

Emi shook her head. "No! Of course not." She glances around. "I'm just trying to…" she trails off for a moment, her eyes catching something, but then continues on. "To be a good hostess."

Ino nodded again. "Well, whatever. We should sit and talk, don't you think?"

"Ino, I couldn't be more interested… but you'll have to excuse me…" Emi murmurs, hurrying off.

"What? Did you see someone take a chip from the snack bowl again?" Ino calls after her in a taunting manner, slightly annoyed at Emi's disengagement.

Emi pushed her way through the crowd of people that were all bobbing along to the music. _Sasuke… I know I saw you… where did you go…?_ She thought, her eyes peering around. She looked up and down the crowd of people, in the kitchen, in the living room, and finally started to paw through the rooms, even though she knew she had told the guests to stay away from the hallways.

"Sasuke… where are you…?" she murmured to herself, opening the door to her own bedroom and stepping inside, closing the door behind her. Her green eyes peered around the room, and she sighed, sitting on her bed. _I _know_ that I saw him…_

"Looking for me?"

Emi spun around. "Sasuke! What're you doing in here?"

Sasuke smirked. "Followed you in."

Emi frowned a bit more. "The party is out there, you know…"

"So why did you look for me here?"

Emi thought for a moment. _Why _did _I look for him here?_ After a while she just shrugs, not knowing what she could say to keep the upper hand of that particular argument, earning the slightest upturn of the corners of Sasuke's mouth as he sat down beside her.

The blonde was dying to say something, but didn't know what to say, so the two of them sat in silence together. _How to say it…? How to…-_

"I've been thinking about the other day," Sasuke said, still not looking over at Emi, rather gazing out the window at the nighttime sky.

Emi glanced over at him. "What do you mean?" she asked. "What about it?"

"Well… it was enjoyable. And I'd like to do it again sometime." His eyes met hers, and he smiled ever so slightly once again.

"Wow, really?" Emi couldn't help but beam. "How about next Tuesday, then? Same time, same place?"

Sasuke nodded. "Alright."

There was another moment of silence, before Emi stood up. "I think I should get back… I'm sure that Chouji has emptied the chip bowl by now." She turned away to leave, but Sasuke's hand gripped her arm and pulled her back.

"Wha-"

Sasuke's lips silenced her own. It only took her a moment to shake off the surprise and kiss him back, but a moment later it was done.

Sasuke wore a full-fledged grin just then. "See you on Tuesday, then?"

Emi nodded. "See you on Tuesday."

* * *

**You see that button right there? It's like the Easy Button, but even better. *hint hint* (;**


	6. Chapter Five

**Hmm... so... this has been sitting, half-done, on my computer for about nine months. Amazing how quickly you can write when you haven't touched something in forever. So here it is. Mind, Body, and Soul, chapter five. From this chapter, I think it's a bit more obvious what this story really is: a romance. I hope you enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: No. I don't own Naruto. Please stop asking me(:**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Five**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

Morning light seeped in through the windows of the twin's rooms. For Moeru, it was a sign of dawn, of another day to get up and show the world what she had. For Emi, it was a sign of the end of her slumber.

The blonde groaned, pulling the covers tightly over her head and burying her face in the pillow, for extra protection from the light. Emi swore she could feel the mysterious resolution of her dreams slowly draining away, never to be seen again, and sighed unhappily. _I'm never going to know what happened to the purple-spotted leopard, am I?_ she thought glumly, just as she heard her sister's calling from the other room.

"Emi, it's seven. You only have an hour to get ready."

_Only an hour... _She groaned again, fighting between the urge to sleep, and the need to spend a copious amount of time on her appearance. Finally, she flung the covers off of herself and started her normal morning bustling about the house.

At seven fifty-five, Moeru was still banging on her sister's door. "Come _on_, Emi. We're going to be late!"

At seven fifty-seven, Emi opened the door. "Sheesh, I'm ready. Let's go."

Moeru gave her sister a livid glare for a split second, before dragging her down the stairs and out of the house. "If we're late, Emi…"

"I know, I know, you'll kill me in my sleep."

"What makes you think I'll wait that long?"

o0o0o0o

After four minutes of running, Moeru was giving Emi quite a strong glare. But when they arrived at the training grounds at five after eight, already muttering their apologies of being late, they realized that they were the first ones there. Upon noticing this, Emi frowned. "You mean I totally could have straightened my hair this morning and it wouldn't have even mattered?"

Moeru shook her head. "No, you couldn't have. Just because everyone else is late doesn't mean you should be late, too. Hold some importance to punctuality, Emi."

The blonde sighed, rolling her eyes. "You sound like mom when you talk like that."

Moeru stopped for a moment but then shook it off.

Iyasu appeared after a few long moments of silence. "Sensei, I am so sorry, I-" He looked around. "Where's sensei?"

The sisters shrugged. "Don't know."

He frowned, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed firmly across his chest. "All that running for nothing…"

"See, even he thinks it was a waste to hurry over!" Emi exclaimed pointedly at her sister.

"Let's see, then…" Yama's voice says, apparently from a vantage point in the trees. "That's ten laps for every minute you were late, and an extra ten laps for Emi and Iyasu who think it doesn't matter if a person is on time or not," she says as she hops down from the tree branch.

The three students all look at their teacher for a confused moment. "What…?" Emi murmured disconnectedly.

Yama's eyes narrowed. "You heard me. Laps around the training field. Better get going, too, Emi. 60 laps can suck up a lot of time, and you all still have to complete my lesson before you can go home."

They all three felt like arguing, but Iyasu, who had more laps than anyone else, just sighed and started running.

At first they all three run together, Emi and Iyasu muttering distasteful words against their sensei, but after a while, they started to get the feeling that Yama could hear them, so they quieted, starting to move at their own paces. Emi, being the undoubtedly fastest out of the three, managed to finish just a few minutes before her sister. "Just sit down and take a breather," Yama instructs. "It'll be a little while longer before Iyasu finishes."

A good ten minutes later, Iyasu finally finished, walking over to a tree and sliding down it tiredly.

Yama stood up, stretching briefly. "Use this as a lesson that I will not tolerate lateness. The training will begin in five minutes."

Moeru looked over at Emi. "If we're late tomorrow, Em…"

Emi snorted. "If we're late tomorrow, I'll kill myself for you."

Five minutes passed, and the three students begrudgingly got to their feet, looking at their sensei attentively, waiting for her orders. Yama grinned almost maliciously. "Well now, is everyone nice and warmed up? Good. Now, for your training today, you're going to be doing a sort of workout that many of my students have come to label as 'Insanity'. This will take you until," she glanced up at the sky, locating the position of the sun, "about seven tonight to complete this exercise. That is, of course, assuming you're able to keep up with the target pace first time around. Which, in case you haven't realized, is highly unlikely." Yama smirked sadistically. "Best get started."

Emi sighed hopelessly, thinking, _I hate her already…_

o0o0o0o

Moeru shivered as the cold air chilled the sweat that covered every inch of her skin. It was well past dusk, and they had only just finished Yama's workout program. But the shivering hurt: it involved moving.

Insanity lived up to its name. They spent the morning doing "warm-ups," which consisted of running large distances in short amounts of time and about half an hour of the yoga moves from hell; after a two-minute water break, they proceeded to do three sets of "hour-and-a-half" long aerobic routines followed by three sets of "half-hour" strength training. Of course, each set took longer than they should have, and as time wore on, the sets began to take longer and longer to complete; every station in every set had to be completed before one could move on to the next station. After all three sets of both types of training had been completed, they went through a "cool-down" routine, which consisted of more running an lots more yoga. By the time they were done, every part of their body ached, and it was around 9 o'clock at night. Nevertheless, Yama seemed to be pleased.

"I'm impressed. You completed this about an hour earlier than I thought you would," she said happily. "Now, practice is going to start at noon tomorrow, so I suggest you plan to be here fifteen minutes early." She turns to start walking away before looking back. "Oh, and bring your swimsuits."

If the three of them had not been so exhausted, they would have looked very skeptical of that last remark. Iyasu half raised his hand in farewell before limping away.

Moeru looked over at Emi. "I hate her. I really do."

The blonde nodded as she rubbed her still-sore hip. "Me, too. I'm surprised she thinks we'll be able to walk tomorrow. She overexerted us way beyond our limit…"

"At least we get to sleep in," Moeru offered as they slowly made their way out of the training grounds, groaning and wincing at the appropriate moments, which were many and close together.

"You know," Emi said off-handedly, "I was supposed to spar with Sasuke today. Yep. Had it planned since before graduation."

Moeru shrugged. "I'm sure he'll understand. Well, I'm not actually sure, because I know basically nothing about him. But I think if you tell him about the insane workout from hell you just went to, he'll agree to reschedule."

"Somehow, I doubt it. Sasuke doesn't seem like the second-chance type," Emi sighed unhappily, wincing slightly afterward from an unintentional flexing in her abs.

Moeru laughed, cutting off quickly from the shooting pain. She looks over at her sister slowly. "You said he kissed you, right?" Emi just nodded. "Then he'll reschedule."

The look in her sister's eyes didn't say that she was fully convinced, but she that she at least felt better about it all. Moeru smiled. "It's going to be alright, okay? But I've got to go. I was supposed to meet Kiba at Ichiraku's about two hours ago. I should probably go find him and try to get him to go to a late dinner."

Emi nodded again, this time grinning amusedly. "We're not going to get to make plans with people before ten o'clock anymore, are we?"

"No, probably not."

"Alright. Go find Kiba. I'll see you at home, then, I guess." Emi grinned a little more.

Moeru smiled. "Bye, sis."

Emi watched as her sister turned away and walked across the street, heading for Kiba's house across town. She sighed once more, not entirely sure if it was because of her sudden loneliness or because of the throbbing ache throughout the whole of her body, and headed out to look for Sasuke, following her sister's plan of asking forgiveness sooner rather than later.

~#~

She knocked on the door with the bone of her knuckles. The door was quickly opened, a woman with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and dark red triangles on her cheeks. "Ahh, Moeru. You here for Kiba?" Mrs. Inuzuka asked with a knowing smile.

"Hi mom. Yeah, I am. Is he here?" Moeru asked, smiling back tiredly.

"Yes, he's just upstairs in his room. Go on up," Mrs. Inuzuka replied, opening the door wider and stepping back to allow Moeru entrance to the house. Moeru smiled once more at her stand-in mother before hurrying up the stairs the way she was so used to doing, finding her way to Kiba's room without even thinking about it. She opened the door without knocking, just as normal.

"Hey Kiba," she said, smiling as soon as she saw him.

Kiba looked up from where he was looking at the wall, throwing a tennis ball against it absent-mindedly, Akamaru sleeping soundly on his stomach. "Hey Mo. What's up?"

Moeru sat beside him. "Nothing, really. Just got out of training for the day."

Kiba gave her a skeptical look. "What? Really? It's like nine-thirty."

"Yeah, I know," Moeru said wryly.

Kiba laughed, causing Akamaru to shift around on his stomach in his sleep. "Is she even allowed to keep you that late?" Kiba asked.

With a shrug, Moeru replied, "I wouldn't be surprised, but I'm sure we're not the only ones that frown upon it."

He grinned and nodded. "I guess that explains why I had to eat dinner alone. Not complaining, though; I didn't have to eat ramen for once. Went to the barbecue across the street. They've got supreme steak there." Kiba smirked.

"Kiba!" Moeru exclaimed. "You should have told me if you were getting sick of ramen. I'd understand."

Kiba shrugged nonchalantly. "Didn't want to rain on your parade. You love that old place."

Moeru rolled her eyes with a sigh. "So I take it you're not hungry anymore, then?"

Smiling, Kiba said, "Are you kidding me? I'm always hungry."

~#~

Sasuke frowned down at the scroll he was reading when the sound of knocking at his front door reached his ears. _Who the hell could it be at this hour?_ he thought bitterly, though he suspected that he already knew the answer. He opened the door to find none other than Emi standing there on his doorstep, looking like a sunny day that had turned to rain and hail. He noticed the not-so-slight slump in her shoulders, how her lips seemed chapped from dehydration, how her clothes were covered in dirt. He noticed the bruises on her knuckles, the same bruises he got from over-training, how her face was slightly flushed from exertion. He noticed the tired look in her eyes, and noticed that it disappeared not even a moment after she saw him.

"You look like hell," he commented.

"Hi to you, too, Sasuke," she said. "May I come in?"

He thought for a moment, calculated for a moment, trying to find an excuse not to. He could think of several. He was tired, he wasn't in the mood to see anyone, he was in the middle of eating, he was mad that he stood him up; but when he tried to open his mouth to speak his excuse, the words wouldn't come out. So, he silently sighed and turned away, leaving her with the responsibility of closing the door as he headed back to where he had been sitting before she had come.

"Are you not going to talk to me?"

"Do I ever?"

Emi scoffed quietly. "Yes, Sasuke. Yes, you do."

Sasuke remained silent, his eyes continuing to read the scroll on his coffee table.

"Sasuke…" Emi said, just barely above a whisper.

He said nothing, though found it admittedly hard to keep from looking up at her at the sound of his name on her lips.

"Sasuke, come on. You're not really mad at me, are you?"

_No, I guess not…_ he thought. _From the looks of it, you've been training for, what? At least twelve hours. You probably just got out of training, and came straight over here to apologize. You obviously feel bad, and just simply couldn't get away._ But still, Sasuke said nothing, lost in his own head, almost as if thinking something meant that he had said it out loud.

"Sasuke, will you at least look at me when I try to apologize?"

He gave her that much. His raven eyes look up at the blonde standing in the middle of his living room, frowning sadly and frustratedly.

"I'm sorry that I didn't make it to our sparring session," she said.

_I waited. I never wait for anyone, but I waited. I waited an hour and a half for you,_ he wanted to say, but again, he stayed quiet.

"My Jounin wouldn't let us leave until we finished her lesson for the day. We _just_ got out of training."

_I know. I can tell._

"Sasuke, will you at least say _something_? I'm sorry."

He sighed. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"I'm worrying about it, Sasuke," Emi said, looking him straight in the eyes. "I'm worrying because you're completely shut down, walls up, and over something I had no control over. I'm worrying about it."

"What are you, my girlfriend?" he snapped. "If I said it's fine, it's fine. If I said not to worry about it, you don't need to worry about it." He looked back at her.

Emi was taken aback, her mouth slightly open. "So you are mad," she murmured quietly.

"Yeah, Emi, I'm mad."

"Because you waited for me, didn't you?" she asked. Sasuke just nodded. "I'm sorry I made you wait. But I hope you know I would have been there if it was at all an option for me."

_I know. _He looked away, exhaling slowly. "I know."

Emi sat down on the couch next to him. "So will you forgive me?"

Sasuke glanced sideways at her, not really willing to turn his head to look at her. Again, no words let his lips.

"Sasuke…?"

He grinned for just a split second as he turned to her, grabbing the sides of her head and pulling her toward himself, silencing her with his lips. She was just as hesitant and shocked by this kiss as she had been at their first, he noticed amusedly. She trembled a little bit, he imagined from a shiver down her spine, but he soon felt her hand on his chest, her fingers closing around his shirt to pull him closer. With a smirk, he chose that moment to pull away, muttering one word against her lips: "Forgiven."

Emi, opening her eyes slowly, smiled giddily at him and nodded. "Okay."

~#~

Kiba looked at Moeru from across the table as she gazed lustfully at the bowl of ramen in front of her. He watched as she took her chopsticks in hand. He watched as she ate to her heart's content, smiling to himself. _How did I get like this?_ he asked himself.

Moeru looked up awkwardly after a moment. "What is it…?" she asked hesitantly

Kiba grinned and shook his head. "It's nothing. Forget about it," he told her.

She pushed the bowl away from her, ramen still inside it. "Kiba, you're acting weird. What is it? You can and should tell me."

He shook his head again. "No, no. Finish your ramen."

Moeru's eyebrows shot up with skepticism, but she complied, inhaling the last bits of food in front of her. Once she was finished, she put her elbows up on the table, laced her fingers together, and rested her chin on the makeshift pillow that was her hands. Her eyes looked expectantly at Kiba.

Kiba sighed. "Can't you just let it go?" he asked, almost begging. "I promise you it was nothing."

"That wasn't nothing, Kiba Inuzuka. I know you. You're my best friend. I know it wasn't nothing."

"Well, you're never going to find out what it is, so it might as well be nothing," he said as he stands up from the table, tossing a few yen onto the table to pay for the meal and walking away from the restaurant. Moeru hurriedly follows after him.

"Kiba! Come on, now!" she complained, grabbing at his arm to spin him back around. "Come on, tell me."

He looked at her again, a small, almost invisible smile gracing his lips as he did. She was his best friend. She was his best friend, and yet, he couldn't help but notice the way she crinkled her nose when she smiled, or the way her red-orange eyes sparkled even in the dark. He couldn't help but notice her pouting lips, lips that he could hear just begging him to kiss them…

Moeru gasped, eyes open wide in shock. _Why is he kissing me?_ she thought, her mind a complete jumble, so disorganized that she wasn't even sure of how to pull away. Time passed, at least it should have. Soon, she wasn't sure she even wanted to pull away. She desperately tried to unscramble her thoughts, but her arms were sick of waiting for her to tell them what to do; her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.

Finally, he pulled away for her. He gazed down at her, embarrassed but entirely thrilled at the same time. He watched as she didn't open her eyes, didn't move at all, just stood very, very still. "Moeru, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No," she interrupted him. "Don't be sorry." She pried open her eyes to look at him, managing a faint smile. "Don't be sorry," she said.

A split second later, Kiba was grinning from ear-to-ear.


	7. Chapter Six

**So I've officially started writing this as part of Camp Nano, so you guys will be getting A LOT of updates on this for the next month. Hope you don't mind(:**

**Uhhmm, this chapter is pretty cool if you ask me. Stuff starts actually happening. And yeahh. Enjoy! And please, please, please... comment! :D**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Six**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

Every member of Team 2 was precisely fifteen minutes early. The sun was high in the sky above them, being only fifteen minutes from noon, and there was a distinct breeze blowing calmly through the trees.

"Good morning," Iyasu called to the girls, his teammates, just as they all approached the center of the training field. A purple pair of swim trunks with gold lining on the bottom were draped over his shoulder, and his hand held onto a fluffy white towel.

Moeru smiled at him. "Good morning, Iyasu," she replied.

"Yeah, mornin' Iyasu," Emi chimed in with a bright smile, one that had been stuck on her face since the night before. "You ready for today… whatever it is we're doing?" she asked.

Iyasu shrugged. "Guess we'll find out. Obviously has something to do with water. I bet you're jumping all over that, Moeru."

"Granted, I don't like the water much…" Moeru agreed, "but I'm willing to trust Yama sensei in the hopes that not arguing will successfully not piss her off."

The group laughed just before the sound of footsteps reached their ears. "I'm pleased to hear you're already trusting in my teaching abilities, Moeru," Yama said with a mischievous smirk. "Did you and your sister remember to bring your swimsuits?"

Emi smiled. "Yes, we did," she said as she pulled at the neck of her shirt to show the straps to her swimsuit.

"Good. You'll definitely be needing them." Yama grinned more widely. "Let's be off." She spun on her heel and leapt away from her students, fully expecting them to follow after her.

Yama led her pupils to the hot springs on the edge of town, up to one of the private pools of uncomfortably hot water near the top of the springs. It was a beautiful little place, secluded in trees that hung over the water with outstretched branches that were like the arms of lovers, desperately trying to reach for one another. Steam rose up from the water only to be blown slowly away by the breeze.

Once they had all assembled, she turned to the three children with a grin that grew even bigger at their confused and puzzled looks. "Just observe for a moment. This is what you will be learning to do for the next few weeks, or months, if it takes you that long." She, with her omnipresent grin, steps back onto the water, walking to the center of the pool without ever breaking the surface.

"Normally, genin first learn this technique by climbing trees; it's easier to do against hard surfaces," Yama stated. "So as much as I would like to start you off in this very, very hot water, I'm ninety-nine percent positive that you are not ready. So, instead, you will be learning on these," she said as she gestures to the trees hanging over the water. "I find it easier to establish this as our training spot until each of you are capable of standing right where I am for at least as long as I have been standing here talking to you.

"We will train until five; the student with the most progress up the tree will get to relax in the hot spring while the other two train until six. At six, the student with the most progress will get to relax in the hot spring while the first student is dismissed for the night. After another hour, the second student will leave, and the third student will have their chance to relax.

"Beware, though," Yama said. "There are a few things that will prevent you from getting your chance at the hot spring. For one, if I hear anyone offering help to each other, no one involved will get to relax and all of you will stay until seven. This is not a team activity. Second, anyone that would not get to relax at five that does not show progress between five and six will not relax at six. I do not reward the lack of progress. And third, anyone who at any point tries to give up will be forcibly held after until they decide they would rather work on the skills I assign than sit silently without food, water, or sleep for another second. Quitting is not an option, and you will all learn that, one way or another."

Yama then proceeded to take three kunai knives from her pouch and throw them to the feet of each of her students. "Use these to mark your progress." With that, she smiled almost sincerely and said, "Have fun!"

Moeru raised her hand. "Yama-sensei, how are we supposed to climb the tree exactly…?"

Yama smiled. "Figure it out. Balance your chakra on the bottoms of your feet. It will act as a glue if you do it right."

"But how-"

"That's all you're going to get out of me," Yama said, cutting off Moeru. "This is to learn several things: it's to learn chakra control and give you a skill that could very well save your life one day, but it is to teach you critical thinking when faced with a situation you've never been in before. Problem-solving skills. It's to teach you independent learning and thinking, because you're not always going to have a team that has your back. Out in the field, more often than not, you are going to have to take care of yourself and your part of the mission, because everyone else will be taking care of themselves and their part of the mission. So learn this on your own. Not one of you is incapable of figuring this out by yourself, I promise you that much."

"Wow," Emi murmured under her breath. "I think that's the first compliment she's ever given us."

"So get to work," Yama instructed. "I'll be right here to watch all of your progress." Yama grinned and removed her fur coat, hanging it from the branches of the trees, revealing a red swimsuit underneath. She allowed herself to slowly sink into the pool, submerging herself completely before wading to the opposite side to allow her to watch all three without having to move.

Emi and Moeru looked at each other and Iyasu, each of them wanting to discuss but all of them knowing better than to do so. They all just sighed and got to work, picking up the kunai knives at their feet and picking a tree for themselves. None of them took to the assignment quite the same. Emi took a running start up the side of the tree; Moeru stood next to it and tried to climb up with her hands to balance her (which Yama quickly shot down); Iyasu just sat on the ground and worked on getting his feet to stick before trying to put his weight onto it.

Yama watched silently for the most part, aside from adding to the rules that hands weren't allowed, observing the work of her students. _Emi definitely did what I expected she would. She's the type that tackles things head on; not surprised there, though I'm impressed by the height she got. Moeru is a bit more calculating about it, which might prove to put her ahead in the long run. And Iyasu… I'm a little disappointed that he can't even get his feet to stick when he's sitting on the ground. I'll have to check in a while and just pray he's gotten some adherence by then,_ she thought.

A few hours passed this way, Yama checking silently on the progress of her students. By three, Emi and Moeru were tied for first in their own ways; while Emi had far more height than her sister (or Iyasu, for that matter), she had also fallen off the tree far more times; Moeru didn't have as much height as her sister, but her progress was much more consistent, if a bit slower. Iyasu, however, had barely gotten onto his feet. _He's not using enough chakra. He'll never get up the tree if he doesn't figure that out. But Emi and Moeru seem to be getting the hang of it. I think my bet is still on Emi, though. She'll probably get the height before her sister._ Yama laughed a little to herself. _And she'll need the relaxation more, with all those bruises on her ass_, she mused.

Sure enough, when five o'clock came, Emi had made the most height out of the three. "Emi," Yama called. "Get in. You're done for the day."

Emi, who had been attached to the tree, nearly fell off in her excitement. "Really, sensei?"

"Nice work, Emi," Iyasu panted, holding his back with exhaustion; Moeru chimed in, "Good job, sis."

"This'll be you soon," Emi said to the others before running off to the side of the hot spring. She kicked off her shoes and pulled off her shirt and shorts to reveal a light green and white bikini set. She pulled up her hair as she stepped cautiously into the hot water. A small sigh left her lips as she sat back against the edge of the spring, letting the steamy water work magic on her fatigued muscles.

"So, Emi," Yama said, interrupting the silence. "How do you feel about today's lesson?"

Emi pried open her closed eyes to look at her Jounin. "It was fine, I guess."

"It was fine? Do explain. How did you figure it out?"

"Well…" Emi sighed exasperatedly. "I took what you said about using chakra like glue and tried to work with that. I knew right when you said it that I would need the right amount of chakra for it work. But I also knew I might not have the chance to just sit around and figure it out, I needed to get right into it if I wanted to get it done."

"Shooting for the first place?" Yama asked.

"Of course. Moeru would get it otherwise. I'm naturally good with chakra - I was just born that way. But Mo knows how to use chakra because she's worked at it. And I can't just get shown up by my little sister."

"Of course not, Emi," Yama said with a grin. "Of course not."

~#~

The next hour passed, and Yama dismissed Emi, who hurriedly disappeared after a quick goodbye to her teammates. Not surprisingly, Moeru had shown the most progress of the two remaining students. "Moeru, you're done," Yama called. "Come sit."

Moeru flashed an encouraging smile at Iyasu, who had still only managed to get a few feet up the tree, and went to sit with her sensei, wearing an orange and yellow tankini set from under her clothes.

"So, Moeru: what'd you think of today's training. Was it challenging?" Yama asked.

"No. I think you know I didn't find it to be a challenge, though, don't you sensei?"

"What do you mean?" Yama asked, intrigued.

"I know you saw my first ten minutes. My feet were stuck solid."

"You mean you could have beat your sister?" Yama inquired.

"Yeah. But I didn't want to," Moeru admitted.

"And why not?"

"Because it would hurt her pride. She doesn't want to be shown up by me, especially on something about chakra control. Chakra control is her thing, you know, sensei?"

"Then why is it you could beat her?"

Moeru shrugged. "I don't know."

Yama smiled at her student. "Because she doesn't work at it. And you do. She can have all the natural talent in the world, but she'll never grow if she doesn't work. So, while I admire the way you consider your sister's feelings, I have to ask something of you."

Moeru looked up at Yama with quizzical eyes. "What is it?"

"Don't hold back to spare your sister's feeling next time. It won't make her a better shinobi, and it won't make you a better shinobi. Do your best. Do your best everyday, from now on. Show me what you can do. 'Cause if I don't know what you can do, I can't help you to get better. Alright?"

"I don't want Emi to be upset."

"Emi will live. She's strong and independent and will survive if you beat her once in a while. Besides, if you were to beat her, she might put forth some actual effort. She's not used to giving one hundred percent. She gives about eighty-five percent and calls it one hundred percent, but saying it's her all doesn't make it her all. I need you to be her challenge."

"You don't get it. She's ridiculously competitive, especially with me. If I show her up, not only will I never hear the end of it, but I'll never hear the end of it for a week and then she'll completely stop talking to me," Moeru told her.

"If it gets Emi to do her best, and allows you to do your best for once, then I would say that it's worth it. She'll come around eventually. But don't you dumb yourself down for any reason. Do your best. I expect nothing less from you, and even if it didn't make your sister put forth the effort, it's in _your _best interest. Understand?"

Moeru sighed thoughtfully, took another short moment to think, and looked over to Yama. "Yes, sensei."

"Good," Yama said with a smile. "Now, go home. You're done here, and I still need to talk to Iyasu, who actually does need work on this."

Moeru laughed. "Yes, sensei."

"Oh, Moeru, tell your sister that practice is at noon again tomorrow, right here, will you?" Yama told her.

"Of course. Good night."

"Good night."

Moeru grinned, said good night to Iyasu, and disappeared into the night, happy to be out of practice again.

~#~

"Sasuke! Open up!" Emi called excitedly as she knocked on his door loudly.

It took him a moment to get to the door, but he eventually opened it up for her. "What is it, Emi?" he asked unenthusiastically.

"We're going out. Come on," she told him with a smile.

"Why?"

"Because," Emi said as she grinned. "I had a great practice today, and because I'd like to spend the time I can with you. I don't know if I'm going to be free for dinner dates all the time, so we're taking advantage of it."

Sasuke sighed. He knew she was going to drag him along whether he wanted her to or not, so he agreed compliantly, grabbing his keys and locking up behind him after he closed the door. _Besides_, he thought, _she has a point. And I can't say I'm not hungry._

Emi grinned. "Ready?" she chirped.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied. "Where are we going?" he asked, knowing she'd more than likely already thought the entire night through on the way over.

"Daiko's, of course. Where else?" She smirked.

Sasuke allowed himself to smile at the edges of his lips, admittedly excited for the food there. "Cool." He noticed, as he was walking alongside her, how his slight smirk brought a huge smile across Emi's face, and he found himself wondering if he had always noticed how god damned pretty she was, or if he had just now realized it.

~#~

There was a knock on the door to the apartment. Moeru didn't hear it at first; she had thought it was just the rustling of the wind outside her window. But sure enough, the second round of knocking that came was louder, reaching her ears clearly. She ran down the stairs to answer the door. "Hi!" she said as she threw open the door, only to find Kiba standing there in front of her. "Oh. Hi, Kiba."

Kiba noticed the slight shift in her emotions when she saw him. "Hey Moeru. How are you?"

Moeru shifted around a little on her feet, nervously crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm doing fine, I guess. How are you?"

"Could be better," he admitted. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course," Moeru answered, pulling the door open wider and stepping back. Kiba made his way into her house, headed for the sofa pushed against the wall of the living room. "So… what's wrong, then?"

Kiba looked at his best friend. "I feel like I made a mistake," he said, sitting glumly on the plush sofa.

"Made a mistake doing what?" Moeru asked softly, sitting next to him on her couch.

Kiba grinned for a moment, almost as if he was smirking at himself. "See, there's this girl…" he started. "And she's really something, you know? Like, something amazing. And we've always been really close. Best friends close, you know?" he said with a growing smirk as he looked Moeru in the eyes. "And yesterday, I kissed her. And she told me it was all fine and that I shouldn't be sorry I did it. It almost seemed like she was happy I had. But then she left in a hurry and I haven't heard from her since. I feel like I messed up somewhere, you know, Mo? I feel like I put my friendship with this girl in danger."

By the end of his speech, Moeru was flaming red with blushing, her cheeks glowing with embarrassment. "Well… have you, uh, tried talking to her?"

Kiba smiled, slightly relieved. "I don't know what to say to her. I can't really lie and tell her I don't feel that way, because I do. I can't tell her that maybe things could just go back to the way that they were, because now that we both know how I feel about her, the entire relationship has changed. And I certainly don't have the guts to ask her how she feels about me. I just don't know what to say to her."

Moeru thought for a moment, taking a steadying breath before speaking. "The way I see it, you're going to have to find the guts to ask her how she feels."

Kiba groaned unhappily in reaction, laying back on the couch in dismay.

"No, really. You have to ask her. If you don't, you'll never know if she feels the same way, or if she's willing to work around it all, or if you really did make a mistake." Kiba looked over at Moeru, worry filling his eyes. "You have to ask her because you have to know. You can't have a friendship or relationship where you just assume something. You have to communicate, and give her a chance to communicate."

Kiba sighed uncomfortably, his eyes darting around the room before closing for a moment. "Moeru," he murmured, prying his eyes back open. "How do you feel about me? About what I did? Did I… did I mess up?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Moeru saw how defenseless he looked. It was the way that he looked whenever he was so afraid that he had something to lose. She saw how honest he looked, how worried he looked, and couldn't help but remember how completely and totally happy he had looked last night after he'd kissed her. She scooted a little closer to him, putting a hand over his with a smile. "Kiba, I've liked you for years. And I couldn't be happier that you finally like me back. I just… it just came out of no where, is all. I just need a bit of time to wrap my brain around it all. To wrap my head around the fact that it actually happened, not just in my head."

Kiba let out a shaky, relieved breath. "I can give you that. Time. I can give that to you. I just-"

"Needed to know?" Moeru asked.

"Yeah," he said with a bright smile. "I just needed to know that you weren't mad at me or avoiding me."

Moeru smirked. "I know."

Kiba pushed a strand of her reddish brown hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead softly. "I think I'll get out of here, then," he told her.

Moeru smiled, nibbling on her lip as a slight blush returned to her face. "Okay, then."

Kiba stood up from the couch. "I'll let myself out. Good night, Moeru. See you tomorrow, maybe?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod of her head. "Maybe."

He nodded back at her before walking away. He opened the door, threw one last glance at her over his shoulder, and left. The door made a soft _click_ noise as the lock latched, and Moeru let out a breath, laying down on the couch with a smile as she tried to hug herself to keep the butterflies from escaping.

~#~

"Emi!" Daiko called, pushing her silver hair away from her face. "So good to see you again!" she chirped. "I see you brought your friend back again."

Emi smiled pleasantly at the elderly woman. "Hello Daiko. Yes, we're back. Is my table open?" she asked with a curious eyebrow.

"Yes, yes, of course. Go on back, I'll be right over to find out what your friend would like," Daiko said, winking.

"Come on," Emi said to Sasuke, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the back of the room, to a table in front of the biggest window in the restaurant. A potted plant with dangling vines hung over the table, a light in the bottom of the pot shining a soft glow over them as they sat across from each other.

Sasuke smiled his barely-there smile as he looked out the window to see the sunset just outside the window. "I see why you like this table."

Emi followed his gaze out to the setting sun. "Yeah. It's really beautiful, isn't it? A Konoha sunset at it's best. I used to come here every night just for the view. This is the best view in town - trust me, I've been everywhere."

He nodded, still gazing out the window. "I used to go down to the dock to watch the sunset, when I was younger, back when my feet couldn't touch the water. The water would always mirror the sky."

Emi looked over to Sasuke, smiling softly. "Sounds wonderful. You should take me sometime. I'd love to see that."

Sasuke's black eyes met Emi's green ones. "Sure."

"Alrighty!" Daiko said, appearing at the side of the table with a pad of paper and a pen in her hands. "What can I get for you to start? I have tea, milk, water, and a juice concoction that is just lovely. It's Emi's favorite," she mentioned, looking at Sasuke.

"You know I'll take the juice," Emi said with a grin.

"Sure, I'll try it," Sasuke agreed.

"Alright, of course," Daiko noted, nodding her head as her pen scratched across the paper. "And do you know what you want, young man?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I liked what I had last time."

Daiko added another nod. "Of course. Two juices and two fried rice, coming right up!" she said cheerfully. "I'll be right back with your drinks," she told them before bustling off to another table.

"You're very compliant today," Emi mused.

"Aren't I always?" Sasuke teased.

Emi laughed. "I guess so. It involves less talking than arguing does." She winked.

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered, pulling Emi forward to kiss her with the slightest of smirks on his lips. She kissed him back most willingly. The two of them became quickly absorbed, so much that they didn't hear the bell chime as the door to the restaurant open. They did, however, hear Daiko call out to the newly arrived customer.

"Oh, Naruto! It's been a while since you've been here. How are things?"

Emi and Sasuke quickly pulled away from each other, but it was too late. When they looked over to the door to see Naruto standing there, they saw that he'd already seen them. "I'm doing great, Obaa," he said, his eyes not leaving Emi and Sasuke, a ridiculously large smirk on his face; a single eyebrow raised as he looked at his teammate. "I'm doing great."

* * *

**Press that pretty little "comment" button? Please? :DD**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Hey all(: Haha how about this, huh? Another update? I know! I'm on fire! It's almost ridiculous! Someone get a fire extinguisher!**

**I'm rambling. I don't know why.**

**But I haven't put in a disclaimer lately. So how about I do that? :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, his world, or any of his cannon friends. I DO own Emi Chiaki, Moeru Chiaki, Yama Tomi, and Iyasu Oka, though. Don't be trippin' and trying to say that they're yours. Because they aren't. Haha! :D You jelly?**

**Again, I do apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. This is, again, being posted very late at night with no proofreading. So, if anything is wrong in here... totally my bad. (;**

******Yeah, okay. Story time. :D**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter** **Seven**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

"_So," Naruto said, placing his hands on his hips as he stood in front of them. "I see you two have taken a liking to each other." Naruto grinned. "How long has this been going on?" he asked._

"_It's none of your business, dumb ass. Get out of here," Sasuke said, turning to look at his teammate with a livid glower._

"_Sasuke…" Emi murmured. "It's not a big deal… you don't have to be mean."_

"_Yeah, Sasuke," Naruto said. "You don't have to be mean. I'm just wondering if Sakura knows you and Emi are an item."_

"_Whoa, now," Emi said worriedly. "Why do you have to bring anyone in his fan-club into this?"_

_Naruto grinned at them. "Well I'm just wondering why you are hiding away in this little love shack, Sasuke," he said teasingly, "and haven't told anyone about you two."_

"_Because it's no one's business," Sasuke snapped._

"_Because I'd get stabbed," Emi said, obviously still thinking about Sasuke's fan-club._

_Naruto laughed. "You would not get stabbed, Emi."_

"_Still nobody's business," Sasuke muttered under his breath._

"_I think you should tell people about you two, instead of hiding out about it. Just go public. It'll be easier. Besides, if you don't, how are you going to make sure you aren't running around with other people?" Naruto asked. "Just tell people about you two. Just do it."_

_With saying that, Naruto walked away._

_Emi looked over at Sasuke. "He's kind of got a point, you know. I don't mean that we have to go out and tell everyone… but don't you think we should figure out what were are, exactly?" she asked._

"_I know what you are to me," Sasuke said simply. "You're my girlfriend. Simple as that." He shrugged, looking out the window. "What's there to figure out?"_

_Emi's heart fluttered at the sound of those words. She smiled brightly and followed his gaze out the window. "Okay, then."_

_~#~_

"_I'm leaving," Sasuke said._

_Emi looked up, confusion overpowering her mind. "What?" she asked off-handedly. It had been a few weeks since they agreed they were dating; a few days after Naruto caught them, the news of their involvement "mysteriously" got out. Ever since, the two had been nearly inseparable._

"_On a mission, I mean," he clarified. "Naruto couldn't keep his mouth shut. He made the Hokage give us a higher-ranked mission. We leave tomorrow."_

"_You can do that?" Emi asked, smirking. "I'm sort of jealous."_

"_You going to be okay without me for a few weeks?" Sasuke asked teasingly as he sat beside her, draping his arm over her shoulder. _

"_Well, I made it by just fine on my own before you; I think I'll be fine until you make it back," she murmured, snuggling into his touch with a soft grin._

_Sasuke nodded, saying, "Good to hear." He pulled her head toward him to kiss her temple before pulling away. "I'm going to pack. See me off in the morning?"_

_Emi nodded her head enthusiastically. "Of course."_

"_See you then, then." Sasuke gave her one of the smiles that only she had ever gotten the pleasure of seeing and left._

_The next morning, she met him at the front gates. He didn't even hug her goodbye; Sasuke was never comfortable being affectionate in front of other people. So they just waved, Sasuke sneaking her one of his hard-to-come-by smiles over his shoulder as he walked away. Then, he was gone; just like that._

_~#~_

Emi rocked back and forth on her heels and toes, her arms folded behind her as she waited. "The note said around noon, right?" she asked the shinobi working the gate.

"Yes, miss Chiaki. Around noon. It's still only quarter till. They'll be here soon," he assured her nonchalantly, returning to whatever paperwork it was that he was attending to.

"Urgh," she muttered under her breath. "You're no help whatsoever."

Emi continued to rock back and forth on her heels and toes, nibbling on her lip as she impatiently waited.

"What if I were to go out and meet the-"

"No, miss Chiaki, you can't leave the village unattended. " The man sighed. "Just sit down and wait for them. They'll be here eventually."

Emi huffed unhappily, crossing her arms defiantly as she turned to watch for the arrival of team seven. _It's been weeks since they left. They should have gotten home days ago. What mission could possibly take this long? At least, one that we're capable of handling. Jeez, can't they just get back already?_ Emi sighed. _I'm really quite sick of missing Sasuke._

Finally, about ten minutes later, Emi caught sight of an obnoxiously bright orange jumpsuit. She grinned brightly when she could make out the others, Kakashi's bright white hair, Sakura's red dress, Sasuke's confident walk. She saw Naruto when he caught sight of her, glad to see a familiar face. Emi had to force herself not to go running to Sasuke to throw her arms around him. When they reached her, Emi promptly greeted them.

"Hey!" she said with a genuine smile. "How was the mission."

"It was great!" Naruto said in his boisterous manner. "You should have been there! There was this guy, and he—"

"It was complicated," Kakashi said., cutting Naruto off. "Shouldn't you be training?"

Emi smiled. "Yama-sensei gave us the day off. It is Saturday, after all." She looked over at Sasuke, smiling brighter. "Besides, I'd rather be here than training."

"I bet," Kakashi said. "It's good to see you. But we have to report to the Hokage. There were a few complications I'm sure he would want to know about." Kakashi smiled at her under his mask before ushering his students off. Emi stared, mouth agape, as Sasuke walked past her, not even acknowledging her presence. Sakura gave her a sympathetic look over her shoulder as the team disappeared in Konoha's crowd of people.

"Ouch," commented the shinobi working the trafficking table.

Emi shot him a deathly glare. "Shove off," she muttered before walking away, though she wasn't entirely sure where she was going.

Anywhere would be better than lingering around the place where her boyfriend completely ignored the fact she existed.

~#~

"Hey, I'm back!" Kiba shouted as he opened the door to his house.

His mother looked up from where she had been looking, down at the dog she had been brushing. "Hey honey, glad you could make it home. And Moeru, it's good to see you," she added, looking at her son's best friend with a smile. "How's your sister?"

"She's okay," Moeru said as she kicked off her shoes. "She's been a little angsty since Sasuke left, but she'll be alright."

"Good to hear," Mrs. Inuzuka said. "Well, we're having lunch soon. Would you like to join us?"

"Yes, please," Moeru said, smiling.

"Alright, I'll make sure to set an extra plate."

"You act like we're not used to her eating with us," Kiba said with a roll of his eyes. "We're gonna hang out I my room, okay?"

Kiba's mother smiled. "Sure thing. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Okay, thanks mom," Kiba said, hopping up the stairs to his room.

"Thanks, mom," Moeru agreed before following Kiba up the stairs into his room, closing the door behind her.

After setting Akamaru down, Kiba looked over to Moeru with a smirk, his eyes bright. He sat down on his bed, leaning his back against the wall. "So how's your training going?" he asked.

Moeru joined him on the bed, criss-crossing her legs, facing him. "It's okay, I guess. I can walk up the tree just fine now. Emi and I both made it to the top of our trees today. But that means Yama-sensei is going to have us start trying to stand on water now, which is going to be really hard." Moeru sighed. "I don't know. I'm just not looking forward to the inevitable falling-into-the-water part of it," she said.

"You'll be fine," he assured her. "You'll get it in no time, I'm sure." Kiba gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I know," Moeru agreed. "How about you? What is your sensei having you do?"

Kiba laughed. "Kurenai-sensei is pretty crazy if you ask me. She has us doing all sorts of ridiculous drills. She says we're 'not conditioned enough' to start her real training."

"Ouch," Moeru said through an amused laugh. "We had one day of really bad conditioning, but we haven't done it since. Yama-sensei must be happy with our work or something."

"Must be," said Kiba, the conversation falling away. He smiled at Moeru charmingly. Moeru blushed, looking away. "Moeru…" Kiba murmured.

Moeru looked up at Kiba. _I can't believe this all is really happening,_ she caught herself thinking. She smiled. _I never thought we could be like this._

Kiba's fingers brushed against the reddening skin of her face gently, his dark eyes locked on hers. All her thoughts vanished as he pulled her toward him, as she closed her eyes, as she felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest… as his lips sealed over hers.

Time ceased to pass. Time ceased to exist at all. The world simply vanished from around them, leaving them as simply two people consumed in each other. His hands weaved into her hair, pulling her lips harder against his own. Her hand rested very lightly against the skin of his neck, the other gripping around the blankets of the bed they sat upon as the kiss deepened.

She felt his teeth nibble at her lip playfully and she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck; his hands dropped from her face to the small of her back,again trying to pull her closer. He felt her lips part and mirrored the act, tongues reaching out toward their first meeting…

And then the door opened.

"Kiba, lunch is rea—"

The two pulled away quickly, looking over to Kiba's mother, standing there in the doorway. They expected her to look shocked and then angry; they were not expecting the highly amused smirk on her face.

"Ah, I see," she said in a quirky manner. "Well, lunch is ready, if you two are interested in joining us." She smiled at them for another few moments before snickering to herself, shaking her head, and closing the door.

Kiba looked over at Moeru, a small, nervous blush on his face. "Shall we — uh — go downstairs, then?"

It took her less than half a second to respond, "Yeah, let's go. I don't really want your mom to come back up to check on us again."

He grinned. "Why? Would we be doing what we were just doing?"

Moeru laughed, climbing off of the bed, her feet landing silently on the carpeted floor. "Come on," she told him, pulling him off the bed by the hand. She turned toward the door only to be yanked back around to face him. He swiftly kissed her again, if only for just a moment. When he pulled away, he grinned.

"You done?" she asked teasingly, her eyebrows raised high on her forehead.

"Yep," he said. "I think I'm good."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Good, because I'm hungry," she told him as she stepped out of his room.

Kiba grinned as he followed after her, feeling a rumble in his stomach — partially from hunger, and partially from the nervous feeling he got when imagining what his mother would tell him. Regardless, he followed Moeru down the stairs to the kitchen; whatever his mother had to tell him, he knew she would at least wait until after Moeru left.

~#~

Emi caught up with Sasuke as soon as he left the Hokage's tower, pulling him to the side by the arm. "Sasuke," she said. "Did I do something?"

Sasuke gave her a skeptic look. "What are you talking about?"

"Did I do something to piss you off in between the time I last saw you two weeks ago and when I saw you today? Because it sure feels like it."

"You're overreacting, Emi," Sasuke said dismissively.

"So you just _forgot_ to at least make eye contact with me earlier?" Emi raised her eyebrow at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Of course not," he replied. "Why does it matter? I'm looking at you now, aren't I?" Sasuke looked at her for a moment before sighing. "What do you want from me?"

"I just want a greeting from the boyfriend I haven't seen in weeks!" she exclaimed. "And I shouldn't have to ask for that. You should be as happy to see me as I am to see you."

"You think I'm not happy to see you?" Sasuke asked, sounding acutely offended.

"I don't know, Sasuke. I can't really tell," Emi said through a shaky exhale.

Sasuke cupped her face in his hand. "You should be able to. You of all people should be able to remember that not broadcasting my feelings doesn't mean that they're not there."

Emi face leaned into his touch as she sighed sadly. "I know…" she mumbled.

"I'm sorry you didn't get the hello you were hoping for," Sasuke told her. "Should I try again?"

Giggling quietly, Emi nodded in reply. "I think I can give you a do-over."

"Okay, then…" Sasuke said. After a moment, he continued on, "Hey there, Emi," he said, pulling her into his arms. "It's great to see you. I missed you. How are you doing?"

"Shut up," Emi muttered a grin on her face as she buried it into his chest, hugging him as tightly as she could. Sasuke grinned and nodded, kissing the top of her head. "Hungry?"

"Starving," Emi said, craning her neck back to look up at him.

"Good. Let's go see Daiko."

"Okay," Emi agreed most eagerly.

Sasuke smiled down at her. _It's good to be back…_ Sasuke thinks to himself.

_Why does he seem so different?_ Emi thought as she snuggled closer under his arm.

~#~

Lunch went smoothly enough. Kiba's mother snuck in no snide comments about her catching him and Moeru kissing up in his room, though Kiba and Moeru suspected that she'd mentioned it to Kiba's sister as she continuously gave the two of them amused grins throughout the meal. By the end of the meal, Moeru's ears were as bright a red as the triangles the dog-keeping family painted on their faces, Kiba's own ears dusted with hints of pink.

Yes, lunch went smoothly enough. It was after lunch that Kiba and Moeru dreaded. Kiba's sister left to go spend some time with a few of her friends in her year, leaving the two blushing shinobi at the hands of Mrs. Inuzuka.

Her first strike was while Moeru washed the dishes. She came up beside Moeru with a kind but knowledgeable smile on her face. "So, Moeru," she started, "how long has this been goi—"

"Come on, mom," Kiba said, standing behind the two, cleaning the table. "Really?"

"Well, I wouldn't have to ask if I knew, now would I?" Mrs. Inuzuka said. "So how long, Kiba?" She smiled expectantly.

Kiba looked over at Moeru with a sigh before looking back over to his mother. "Two weeks, maybe three?"

"I see." His mother smiled hugely, turning away to put away the leftovers in the refrigerator.

Moeru looked over at Kiba in amazement, almost as if to say, _Is that it?_

Kiba sighed, shaking his head, the equivalent to, _Knowing her? Not even close._

And it wasn't. After the dining room had been cleaned and all the dishes were washed, dried, and properly put away, the two of them started to head back upstairs. The moment Moeru's foot touched the first stair, however, Mrs. Inuzuka called to them saying, "Why don't we all play a game together?" Both of them knew what she was actually saying was, "Why don't you stay downstairs so I can keep an eye on the two of you?" So, they agreed in a slightly begrudging manner, following Mrs. Inuzuka into the living room. There, they played a word game, one of Mrs. Inuzuka's favorite games. Kiba never liked it much, as he was never very good at it, but Moeru had always enjoyed it. At least, she enjoyed it when she hadn't felt like Mrs. Inuzuka was watching her every move.

Halfway through the game, she struck again. "So don't you think you're a little young to be—"

"Mom! Really!" Kiba interjected. "Can't you just drop it?"

His mother smiled. "No, I really can't." She set down her cards on the table. "I can't drop it for a few reasons. For one, you two are twelve and thirteen. Should you two really be kissing like that?"

Her words were met with silence and awkward stares at the floor.

"Exactly. For another, Moeru doesn't have anyone to give her this talk, and she's always been my daughter in a way, so the way I see it, it's my responsibility to give it to her."

"You don't mean the — _the — _talk, do you?" Moeru asked, quite frightened by the idea of _the_ talk.

"No, not _the_ talk. But _a_ talk. Because you two are way too young to be acting like that, and I'm sure you both know that." Mrs. Inuzuka sighed. "You're just kids. So young." She smiled. "But I know that trying to tell you two to stop just isn't going to do anything, am I right?"

"Well…"

"Let's be honest, here," his mother said. "It really wouldn't work. I know when my parents tried to tell me not to do something — anything — it only made me want to do it more. So I'm not expecting you two to just stop. But I am expecting you two to respect each other about it, and to understand what it is that you're doing and what it means."

"We know what it means, mom," Kiba said.

"You have an idea of what it means. Or of what it should mean. But you don't _know_ what it means. And I don't really think you will until you are much, much older. But like I said: I'm not going to tell you to stop. Just think about this in the big picture of things. You're twelve and thirteen. Be careful and respectful. If you two think about it and decide you still want to kiss each other the way you just were, I won't stop you," Mrs. Inuzuka said. "Just so long as it's not under my roof." She grinned at them, her bright white teeth making for a perfectly warm smile. She stood up and kissed each of their foreheads. "I love both of you very much. Please just be wise." And with that, Kiba's mother left the room, leaving the two alone in the living room, looking awkwardly at each other.

"What do you think…?" Moeru asked after a long, silent moment, speaking just barely above a whisper.

Kiba sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know." He looked over to Moeru, as if hoping she would have the answer.

"Maybe we should just… let it marinate for a bit?" she suggested.

"What does that even mean?" Kiba asked, chuckling slightly.

"Well… just let things sit for a while. Take some time on it all. Figure out what's real and what's appropriate and what isn't."

Kiba gave her a kind smile, placing his hand over hers. "I know what I'm feeling is real. I'm still not sure if it's entirely appropriate, but I know that it's real."

Moeru blushed but smiled back, her eyes sparkling happily. "Me, too."

The two sat in silence for another moment, both of them simply nodding and smiling. "Do you want to hang out or —"

"I think I should probably go," Moeru told him. "But dinner at Ichiraku's tonight?"

"How about the barbecue across the street from Ichiraku's?" Kiba asked with a teasing grin.

Moeru laughed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. The barbecue across the street from Ichiraku's. See you then."

Kiba kissed her hand charmingly. "Sounds good, my fair lady." He smirked up at her.

Moeru blushed more. "Bye, my… prince? Knight?"

Kiba shrugged. "One of those shiny hero people."

"Whatever," Moeru said through a laugh. "Bye," she said finally as she pushed open the front door.

"Bye…" Kiba said, watching after her, already missing her being the beside him.

~#~

"Thank you for lunch," Emi said as Sasuke walked her toward the door to her house. She looked over at him with ever admiring eyes, a bright smile on her face.

"You're welcome," he told her simply, returning her admiring gaze. "We should go again soon."

"Tomorrow, perhaps?" Emi suggested, her eyebrows lifted hopefully.

Sasuke snickered. "Sure. Are you going to be out of training by seven?"

Emi shrugged. "Should be, I've been getting out of there pretty quickly over the last two weeks."

"I see," Sasuke said. "Then I'll see you at seven?"

Emi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes you will."

"Good," responded Sasuke. His hand reached for her chin, pulling it up as he leaned forward to press his lips to hers in a farewell kiss. Emi grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck as his other hand pulled her hips closer. His teeth dug into the flesh of her lower lip softly, and Emi felt her back press against the door, the door handle sticking uncomfortably into her lower back. She pulled away.

"Do you — uh — want to come inside?" she asked in a rather timid manner through her panting breaths.

Sasuke looked down at her for a moment, thinking before replying. "No, I probably shouldn't."

Emi nodded. "Yeah. You're probably right."

"Probably," Sasuke teased, a grin on his face.

Emi rolled her eyes. "Go ahead, make fun of me," she told him defiantly. "I'll get you back one day, I hope you know that."

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Sasuke taunted.

She rolled her eyes again. "Shush," she said, kissing him briefly. "Get out of here."

"I'll be back sooner or later," he said.

Emi pushed him away playfully. "Yeah, yeah, get going."

Sasuke grinned at her one last time before stepping off Emi's porch.

"See you tomorrow," Emi called to him cheerfully.

"Bye."

Emi smiled to herself. _See, Emi? You were just psyching yourself out. He's still the same Sasuke._

At least, that's what she told herself in hopes that the lump in the pit of her stomach would believe her words. But alas, something about him still seemed very, very off. Emi just hoped it was all in her head.


	9. Chapter Eight

**So I'm already almost done with the next chapter. I know. These updates are stupidly, awesomely close together. :D You know you love it. So, before I finish the next chapter, I'm going to remember to post this one(: So here you go!**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Eight**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

Yama looked around at her students, her hands placed proudly on her hips as she grinned. "I have an exciting announcement for you all," she told them. She continued to grin, waiting for them to ask what it was.

After a few awkward, anticipating, silent seconds, Emi finally asked, "Well what is it?"

"You all get to do some battle training today!" she exclaimed excitedly.

The three students burst out into a fit of excited happiness. "Really?" Iyasu asked, pumping his fist in the air.

"Hell yeah!" Emi said. "It's about time!"

"Finally!" Moeru agreed. After a moment of thought, she added, "But why? I thought we were supposed to transition into walking on water today…?"

Yama grinned. "Well, plans can change. And right now, I'm sure it is much more important that you work on fighting than on standing on water. You've been mixing conditioning and chakra adhesion for the past few weeks, so you're pretty well prepared for combat, as I see it. You're much more agile to get out of the way of blows, and much stronger to hit your opponents harder. Besides, there's even more exciting news behind why you're starting on combat training."

There was another, though shorter, silence as Yama waited for them to ask what it was. "Well…?" Iyasu asked.

"The Chuunin exams are coming up, and I intend to have each and every one of you participate in them."

"Whoa!" Moeru exclaimed. "You mean you think we're ready to be ranked as Chuunin?"

"No, of course not," Yama said. "I mean, yes, I think each of you have a fair chance," she clarified, "but there aren't usually more than five or six that are ever promoted in any given Chuunin exam. What I mean to say is don't get your hopes up — it may take you several tries to be promoted. Yes, I think any number of you could be selected. Just… don't count on it."

"Way to be a buzz-kill…" Emi muttered quietly.

Yama looked at her, as if to say,_ I heard that_, but never said anything in reply. "So, as I do not yet know what it is you will be doing for the Chuunin exams, and we have yet to cover combat thoroughly, that will be what we work on for the next two weeks until the Chuunin exams have officially started."

"You mean to say that we have to wait two weeks?" Moeru asked, sounding rather baffled. "Why can't they just start them now?"

"Because patience is a virtue, Moeru. That's why."

"Two weeks isn't even that long, Moeru. It'll go by really quickly," Iyasu said to comfort his teammate..

"Exactly," Yama said, a proud look still in her glossy black eyes. "Like I said: Patience is a virtue. If you're patient, two weeks will come and go in the blink of an eye. Besides, if we were to start now, I don't know how well you all would fare. These two weeks of preparation will be vital."

Emi sighed and stood up, stretching her arms. "I don't care about any of that patience or waiting crap," she said, to no one in particular. "I just want to train."

"I like your attitude, Emi," Yama said with a menacing grin. "For that, I'll make sure I don't go easy on you."

Emi's arms quickly dropped, her eyes darting over to her sensei, hoping she was kidding.

She wasn't.

"Shit…" Emi mumbled.

~#~

Combat training with Yama was rough, to say the least. She put them through the basics, just to 'refresh their memories'. She then proceeded to aim relentless amounts of kunai knives and shuriken at them for 'basic dodging skills' practice, which was more like a game, 'see who can get cut the least'. From there, two of her students got to fight each other while the other sparred against her. The fights were to be nothing but taijutsu. Somehow Yama managed to attack her opponent ruthlessly while watching over the other fight, shouting out commands to the others when the sparring got too 'soft'. Fights lasted both to the last man standing and for an hour. Whoever won the most matches at the end of three hours got to do the least amount of laps around the training field.

Yama's first prey was Iyasu. She fought him with speed, getting into his guard where he couldn't move, backing him into a corner; the first match ended when she swept his legs out from underneath him, the second when his knees gave way after a blow to his ribs. _His blocks have gotten stronger,_ Yama noted, _but he still hasn't gained any speed. I'll have to up his speed training over the next few weeks._

While Yama was beating away at Iyasu, she continuously was trying to get one of the two sisters to make contact. It was no use, though; they were too used to sparring each other. Every blow was dodged or parried.

Finally, the hour was over, and none of the students had managed to win a match.

"Emi, you're next," Yama instructed.

Emi cursed under her breath, looking warily at her basically demolished teammate. _If that's her going easy… what in the world is she going to do to me?_ she thought, too horrified to visualize it.

The two squared up, Emi looking nervously at her sensei. "Remember," Yama said, "I'm not going to go easy on you. It'll suck like hell, but I think you'll agree that it'll help you learn a few things."

"Like not being cocky?" Emi asked.

"Not necessarily," Yama said, grinning. "But if you want to look at it that way, then sure. I meant more along the lines of, if you pay attention, you can learn a few tricks."

Emi nodded, still a little wary. "Okay, then, sensei. Teach me."

Yama grinned. _I can still beat her on speed, though she's gotten surprisingly fast for a shinobi of any level, let alone a Genin. But, I think I'd rather teach her something on force. She's going to find a lot of opponents that are stronger than her, and it could be fatal if she doesn't know how to fight against it._ Yama nodded as she decided on her course of action. "Alright, my pupil. Get ready to learn." Yama lunged out with a hard fist aimed for Emi's gut, of which Emi quickly arched her body out of the way. "Good," Yama said as she aimed another blow for Emi's head, Emi dodging underneath the swing. _She's gotten better at dodging,_ Yama thought. _Let's see how she'll handle if I increase the speed._

Yama struck out again, this time much faster, and just as strong. Emi's hands shot out to push the blow away as she got out of the hit, leaving her face open for another fast jab. Emi's head snapped to the side, loosening with a loud _crack_. _She's getting faster. I need to move faster, too,_ Emi thought.

Another barrage of blows came, Emi pushing herself faster to avoid them successfully. _She's learning,_ Yama thought with a grin. _This is good. Let's go even faster._

_Faster,_ Emi thought.

_Faster,_ Yama thought.

_Faster._

_Faster._

_Faster._

Soon, Yama's arms moved at an incredible speed, Emi's body moving out of the way just barely fast enough. Emi's eyes darted around, searching for the next jab, her mind planning the way to avoid it.

_Her mental ability to keep up with the speed is astounding. If only she could analyze the holes to fit in her own attacks, she could easily be a Chuunin,_ Yama noted, sweeping at Emi's legs with her own. _She might be able to tire her enemy out if she can keep up her dodging, but she'll never be able to end a battle quickly until she can find each and every opportunity to strike._

As if reading her Jounin's mind, Emi thought to herself, _where are the holes? Think, Emi, think! Look for an opportunit— there!_ she thought as Yama's right cross blew past the side of her face. One had darted upward, locking around Yama's wrist —

— _Shit!_ Yama thought —

— the heel of the other hand ramming into the side of her sensei's head.

Iyasu and Moeru both heard the _thunk_ of Emi's hand against their teacher's head, and both of them immediately turned to look at the other fighting pair. _Did that really just happen?_ Moeru thought in wonder.

_Holy fuck…_ Emi thought. _I just hit my sensei. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing._

Yama stayed with her head turned sharply away for a few frozen seconds. After a while, she straightened out, looking over at Emi with proud eyes. "Very good, Emi," she complimented. "Shall we count that as one round?"

Emi took less than a second to respond with an eager smile and an enthusiastic nod. "Yes!"

Yama looked over at her other two students. "Have one of you beaten the other yet?" she asked expectantly.

"No…" Iyasu said.

"Then why have you stopped fighting?" Yama asked.

"Right," Moeru said, jabbing Iyasu in the gut with a grin.

Yama smiled and looked over at Emi. "Let's go." Yama put her hands up in a ready position, Emi following suit. They continued on for the rest of the hour, Emi only making one glancing blow to Yama's arm. Moeru managed to win a battle against Iyasu in the last few minutes of the hour, giving both of the sisters a win.

Finally, it was Moeru's turn against Yama. Yama looked at Moeru, thinking over how to approach. _I think I'll go at her with speed; she's more strength-oriented than speed-oriented, so trying to get her to block at her sister's speed would be beneficial. However, she'll probably think to look for opportunities to strike more quickly than her sister did, so I'll probably have to look out more closely._

So she did. Yama came at Moeru with a furious barrage of jabs, getting inside Moeru's striking range to make it more difficult for the young girl to maneuver. Moeru found a way to grapple her sensei, completing a throw that landed her behind her over her shoulder, giving her the space to aim a ready kick to Yama's abdomen. The blow made a low _thud._ Moeru had virtually no time to mentally congratulate herself, though, as a split-second later, Yama's hands wrapped around Moeru's foot and pulled it upward, lifting Moeru entirely off of her feet only to allow her to fall heavily to the ground. "That was a solid kick, Moeru," Yama said. "Very nicely placed and timed. I would say that should count as half a win. You should know better than to leave your foot, though, because that is what happens. See if you can earn a full win before the end of the hour," Yama instructed.

So Moeru frowned, let out a sigh, and stood up. Quickly, she laid a preemptive strike toward Yama's jaw, feinting it away with an adept move of her shoulders that sent the full-blown punch to the same spot as the kick was landed, another low _thud_ sounding out. _That was fast,_ Yama thought to herself. _I barely saw her fist move at all._

"Is that the other half, sensei?" Moeru asked.

Yama grinned, glancing over her shoulder to watch as Emi pinned a struggling and frustrated Iyasu to the ground. "Yes, Moeru, that counts as the other half. If you can get a jab in on me like that, I'd be hard pressed to find a person besides your sister who could dodge it." She sighed before yelling to the other two students. "That's enough. Circle up," she ordered.

Emi climbed off Iyasu and offered him a hand up which he gladly took. The three students all meandered over to stand in front of their Jounin, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"So that will be all for today —"

"Yes!" the three students chimed, all three of them getting ready to bound away.

"But," Yama said, "I want you here at six tomorrow," she told them. "And we will more than likely train until after sunset. I'll be putting together a few drills for you all to complete to strengthen the weaknesses I saw today. For instance, Iyasu, your analysis of opportunities and of your opponent's strengths and weaknesses is very advanced; I knew that from the start. However, you're very non-aggressive, which will lead to you getting your ass kicked several times over for the rest of your shinobi life if you don't learn how to fix that."

"Shikamaru isn't aggressive," Iyasu argued. "And he's still pretty kick-ass."

"Shikamaru Nara is also far more tactical than you or even I could ever hope to be. That kid is fifty steps ahead at any given moment. You're good at tactics, Iyasu, but you're not that good. So tomorrow, you will be working on aggressiveness, as well as on your speed. Emi," Yama said, turning to the blonde. "You will also be working on aggressiveness. I don't know where it went, because you were the most aggressive of the three on your first day of training with me, but you were also very passive in your battle with me. You'll also be working on strength: it's improved greatly since you first came to me, but you still have a ways to go on it.

"And Moeru," she said, turning to the last girl. "You will be working on speed and strength. You were the most tactical and preemptive of the three, but I think your taijutsu isn't exactly filling it's potential in either speed or strength."

Yama smiled. "We'll work on the specifics of each of you tomorrow. For now, go home, get some sleep, because tomorrow will be hell, I promise you that. You all are dismissed."

The three nodded, watching their sensei leap away from them, headed toward the heart of the city. They all looked at each other, finally able to express their full range of emotion. "Tch," Iyasu said. "I'm just as good as tactics as Shikamaru is."

The sisters looked at him skeptically.

"Well, maybe not. But I was doing good with my tactics today." He crossed his arms. "And I'm plenty fast, too."

Emi shrugged. "You can always use more speed, if you ask me."

"Says the girl that can run a mile in four minutes," Moeru said with a smirk.

The blonde grinned. "Of course."

"But hey, who cares what we're going to be working on tomorrow. Don't forget what it's for. The Chuunin exams! Yama-sensei thinks we're good enough to make it. So, let's just trust her judgment on what needs work so we can prove that we really are good enough," Moeru said excitedly.

Iyasu and Emi both nodded in agreement. "Yeah, agreed," Emi said. "I want to prove to everyone that we're still the best."

"Let's show them," Iyasu said, grinning. "As a team."

"As a team," Moeru said.

"As a team," Emi chimed.

The all smile at each other. "So we stick together in there, no matter what goes on," Iyasu said.

"For sure."

"Good. Then I'll see you guys tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

"Remember, Yama-sensei wants us here at five-forty-five," Moeru said with a playful tone and a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah." Iyasu waved goodbye. "I'll be there."

Emi grinned. "Well, I've got a few hours before I have to go meet Sasuke. You want to run a few drills, Mo?"

"Like speed and strength drills?" Moeru asked.

"Sure; you can run the strength drills, and I can run the speed drills."

Moeru nodded. "Yeah, let's do it. The more practice, the better, right?"

Emi laughed. "Just so long as we're not practicing sparring each other. I think we've gotten to the point where that's pretty much useless."

The brunette sister laughed in agreement. "Yeah, I think you're probably right about that."

~#~

Emi looked around the room in search for the clock. She found at the opposite side of the room, hard to read in the dim light of the paper lanterns. From what she could tell, it was half past three. She had already been waiting for an hour. She looked over to the door, waiting for Sasuke to walk through the door. He didn't.

Daiko came over to her side. "Do you want me to refill your juice, Emi-chan?" she asked in an attempted-soothingly way, her light brown eyes looking at Emi sadly.

Emi sighed, looking up to her long-time waitress. "Yeah, sure. I'll take another one."

"I'll be right back with that, then," Daiko said, picking up the clear plastic cup that had barely any of the berry pink liquid left in the bottom of the cup.

"I'll be right here," Emi murmured sadly, "Waiting…" She let out a sigh.

_He's probably stuck in training. I've done this to him, before. It wouldn't be fair of me to freak out about this. He'll be here. He'll be here eventually._

Daiko returned with a glass full of the smooth pink juice, setting the glass down on the linoleum table with a small _clink_. "Here you go, honey. Do you want me to get your fried rice started?" she asked quietly.

Emi sighed again, waving her hand nonchalantly. "Sure."

Daiko patted Emi's shoulder sympathetically with a sad nod before leaving without a word.

Emi sat there in total silence, watching as the hands of the clock whirled around the circle in the center. She picked at her fried rice when it came, not even finishing half of it before it had gone cold. It was half-past four. _Where is he? _she thought worriedly. _Is he ever going to show up?_

She picked at the cold rice for a while longer before pushing it away, finishing off her juice. She waited a few minutes more before standing up from the table, tossing the bill's worth of yen down onto the table. Daiko watched sadly as Emi left without a word.

Emi went straight to Sasuke's house. She walked up the steps and knocked on his door. Inside, she heard something move, so she knew he was home. The door, however, did not open.

Emi knocked again. "Sasuke!" she called loudly. "Come on, I know you're in there."

Still, the door did not open. Emi sighed with frustration, starting to turn away. The sound of the door unlocking reached her ears, soon followed by the door being pulled open. Emi turned around.

"What, Emi?" Sasuke asked. She noticed how his hair was gleaming with water, a faint smell of soap reaching her nose. He had obviously taken a shower recently, long enough ago that his clothes had dried after absorbing any extra water on his skin, but not long enough ago that the water in his hair had completely evaporated.

"What do you mean?" Emi asked. "Did you forget we had a date, or did you just decide not come?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "I figured you would have eaten without me."

"In a manner of speaking," Emi grumbled.

"Why are you upset? As I recall, I've waited for an hour and a half for you and you never showed up," Sasuke reminded her.

"Yes, but I came to apologize."

"And why are you here this time? Are you looking for an apology?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, actually," Emi said. "Now that you mention it, an apology would be nice."

"Forget it. I'm not going to apologize for training late and deciding not to come bother you when I knew you were going to be in a shitty mood."

"I wouldn't be in a shitty mood if you had at the very least attempted to keep your appointments," Emi said defensively.

Sasuke frowned at her. "This is exactly why I didn't come: I am not in the mood to be nagged at."

"I wouldn't be nagging if you had came, so don't even give me that excuse. That is complete bullshit, Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head. "Then what do you want me to say besides 'I'm sorry'? Would you rather I lie?"

Emi growled under her breath. "Why can't you just say you're sorry?"

"Because I didn't do anything wrong, Emi. What do I have to be sorry for?" Sasuke asked.

Emi laughed wryly. "You know what? Fine. Forget it," Emi seethed. "Just forget it.

"Consider it done. Is there anything else you need?"

The blonde exclaimed indignantly and turned away from Sasuke, loudly muttering swears as she walked away from the house. The sound of Sasuke's door slamming reached her ears, fueling her irritation further. Her nails dug into the flesh of her palms as she stormed off toward the closest training ground with trees. Loudly, she strung together another line of curses, not even caring who heard her. "God damned Sasuke," she grumbled lastly under her breath.

~#~

Moeru left Ichiraku's in a fantastic mood, her stomach all packed up, full of ramen of every flavor she could have ever asked for. She even hummed a little tune as she walked down the streets of Konoha, not really caring where she was going but simply enjoying the warm breeze that blew through the city. She found as she continued to walk that she got closer and closer to the front of the city. She didn't really think much of the people that walked past her in strange clothing as she kept to herself, humming to herself. It only occurred to her that something was strange until she saw _him_.

There he was, standing next to a tall blonde girl with he hair pulled into four spiked ponytails, a large fan strapped to her back, and a tall boy with a black hood and purple face paint, _something_ strapped to his back, wrapped up in white cloth strands. She saw him standing there, like a blast from her past; his messy red hair, his bright sea foam green eyes, outlined with a thick, dark black.

Her first thought was to run; run from the past. Her feet did not agree, though, almost as if they were frozen to the ground. _Maybe he won't see me,_ she thought desperately. _Maybe I'll just blend into the crowd and he'll never see me._

Seconds passed, Moeru managing to inch away from the scene little by little. It had almost worked, until she stepped on one of the other pedestrian's feet; the man roared out in pain and outrage, and half of the street looked over to see what all the commotion was about.

Moeru looked up just in time to see his bright green eyes look over to her. At first, his expression remained blank, bored, until something in her face sparked the same familiarity that his face had sparked for her. His eyes widened ever so slightly in disbelief, his brow furrowing.

Finally, Moeru was able to tear her feet from the ground, spinning on her heels and running away through the crowd. She ran, just trusting her feet to take her away from the boy with the red hair and green eyes. She ran until she couldn't breathe and then some, not stopping until she reached Kiba's house. She pushed open the door, kicking off her shoes.

Kiba was laying on the couch in the living room, Akamaru laying on his stomach fast asleep, a book in his hand. He glanced up at her. "Ah, Mo, what's up?" he asked. Moeru shook her head, sitting at his feet on the end of the couch, not answering. Kiba peered at her over the top of his book curiously, waiting for her to reply. When no reply came, he closed the book, set it down on the ground, and propped himself up a little on his elbows, being sure not to disturb the sleeping dog lying on his stomach. "You okay Mo? Something wrong?"

Again, Moeru shook her head. "…No, not really. I'm just a little… spooked, is all, I guess."

"What spooked you?" Kiba inquired.

Moeru sighed. "Just someone I saw on my way over," she said passively. "I'll calm down in a few minutes."

"Someone you saw?" Kiba asked further. "What was the matter with them? Was a it a six-foot-eight guy with skulls hanging from his belt or something?"

Moeru rolled her eyes. "No, nothing that awesome. Just a boy."

He raised his eyebrows skeptically at Moeru. "You got spooked by 'just a boy'? You?"

The brunette girl shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Kiba sighed, laying back down. "Okay, then. In that case, what do you want to talk about?"

Moeru thought for a moment. "Have you heard about the Chuunin exams?" she asked.

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, I have. Did your sensei recommend you for it?"

"Yeah, she did," Moeru chirped excitedly. "Did yours?"

"Yep," Kiba told her. "All three of us."

"My team, too. Do you have any clue what they're going to make us do?"

Kiba shook his head. "Not specifically, though Hinata, Shino, and I were talking, and we've all pretty much agreed that it will more than likely involve combat against other Genin."

"Well yeah," Moeru said. "It's a competition. It's going to have to involve something where we compete against each other. And what other grounds is there for competition than battle skill, really?"

Kiba grinned. "I could think of a few."

"Like what?" Moeru asked, quirking her eyebrow.

"Teamwork abilities, strategy, information gathering skills, resourcefulness, just to name a few." Kiba smirked at her.

"How many tests do you think there are going to be?"

Kiba shrugged. "I'm just hoping it's more than one, so if I bomb one, I still have a chance to redeem myself."

"My sensei said we probably won't be getting promoted this time around," Moeru said glumly.

"No offense to her, but screw your sensei. You have just a good a shot at getting promoted as anyone else taking this test," Kiba said.

Moeru smiled. "Thank you, Kiba."

Kiba smiled back. "You're welcome."


	10. Chapter Nine

**Heyyy haha how are all of you? :D So I've had this done for literally months. And the following chapter. Yeah. I'm a slacker, I'm sorry. Working on Chapter Eleven right now. Because this is Nine, and I'm about to upload Ten as wel. Yeh know? Heh we're starting to get into like, cool stuff now. Hope you enjoy this! :D**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Nine**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

Emi walked up to the chain-link fence that surrounded the training ground closest to Sasuke's place. Her face was pulled into an irritated frown as she pulled open the fence, stepping into the forested area and following the small trail worn into the dirt. The path never seemed to go anywhere in particular, so Emi eventually just stopped walking, figuring she was far enough away from people that she could vent in peace.

Turning to look at a tree directly to her left, Emi's eyes filled with a look of acidic frustration, the green of her irises looking almost poisonous. Her hands balled into fists, nails digging into palm until the flesh bled. Emi just stood there, fists clenched and trembling, until finally her bottled up anger broke the surface and her fists struck out at the tree on their own accord, one blow after another. Soon, her hands were bloody and raw, the blood dripping from the wounds on her knuckles onto the grass at the base of the tree. After several minutes of this, her anger still hadn't disappeared completely, but she could think clearly enough to know that it would be simply stupid to continue on. Her hands dropped to her sides.

"Who pissed you off?" asked a smug voice in the distance.

Emi looked up toward the origin of the voice to see a boy standing on a branch a few trees away. He was tall, she noticed, with pale skin and long brown hair bound at its ends. He stood with his arms crossed arrogantly, folded against his chest, and from what she could see, he wore a complacent grin on his face.

"What's it to you?" she spat, turning away.

"Just curious. I could hear you on the other side of the training ground," he told her.

"I doubt that."

The boy dropped from the tree, landing closer to her. She could now see his face clearly: angled and elegant, she saw, but also unnerving with the veins around his white eyes prominently standing out from the rest of his face. She recognized it as they Hyuuga family's bloodline trait — the Byakugan. "You were screaming very loudly. I don't know if you noticed or not, but I certainly did," he informed her sarcastically.

Emi frowned. "Still don't see how this has anything to do with you," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"It has something to do with me because it is very, very difficult to meditate when some girl starts screaming bloody murder less than thirty feet away from you. That's why."

"I thought you said you were on the other side of the training field," she retorted with a frown.

He shrugged. "So I exaggerated. I probably could have heard you across the training field. I don't think you understand just how loud you were."

The blonde looked over at him, making eye-contact for just a moment. "Sorry," she mumbled, looking away hastily.

"Just ease up on the shouting, would you? And whatever this Sasuke guy did, I think it'd be more satisfying if you hit him, not the poor tree," the boy suggested, turning away from her and starting to walk away. "By the way, I'd wrap up your hands next time, if I were you."

Emi glowered after the boy as he meandered away. _What a prick_… she thought. _Talking to me about how to handle my problems when he's even never met me. Arrogant asshole._

Her eyes drifted down to her bleeding hands. _But he's probably right. I should get these bandaged up before they get infected. _She headed away, back the way she came, the same way the boy went when he left.

She couldn't have said how she saw it, lying in the tall grass under the perpetual shade of the trees, but her eyes were drawn to it. She leaned over to pick it up, holding it in her hands to get a closer look at it. It was a small silver pendant in the shape of a feather on a black hemp chord, with an engraving on the back reading, "Hyuuga".

_Oh,_ she thought. _This is that boy's…_ She looked ahead on the path to see if he was still around so she could return it to him, but he was nowhere to be seen. _I'll give it to Hinata._ _She'll know whose it is and get it to him._

Sighing, she walked away, dropping the necklace into the pockets of her jean shorts, being specifically careful not to stain them with the blood on her fingers. She slowly made her way home, opening the door to her house with a practiced turn of her wrist. With the door latched behind her, she started toward the cabinet under the stairs, where she and her sister kept the bandages. Not moments after she had her fingers wrapped around a roll of bandages, she saw the door to her house burst open, her sister blasting into the room hastily. "Emi!" she shouted. "God, thank goodness you're here," she said through a relieved sigh. "We have a problem."

Emi sighed, turning away to sit at the kitchen table, bandaging up her hands carefully. "What is it, Moeru? It's not like you to be dramatic."

"Gaara is here," Moeru told her, as if that name was supposed to mean something to her sister.

"Who is here, Mo?" Emi asked, not looking up from her hands.

"Gaara! Gaara no Sabaku!"

"Repeating the name doesn't make me know who you're talking about," Emi said, looking up to her sister with a sigh. "Now who are you talking about?"

Moeru sat beside her sister, sighing deeply. "Do you remember that trip we had to Suna? Right before mom and dad died?"

"Yeah," Emi said. "But I'm surprised you do. You were like, four."

"I know. We went for my fourth birthday." Moeru sighed, closing her eyes, trying to remember the memory more clearly. "While we were there, while mom and dad were shopping in the market place, I saw a group of kids playing ball in the street. I left to go play with them."

"I remember that," Emi said. "Mom and dad spent like half an hour looking for you everywhere but there because they couldn't imagine that you would ever go play with kids you didn't know," she laughed.

"Well there was this boy standing on the sidelines," Moeru continued on. "This boy with red hair and dark circles around his sad eyes, a stuffed bear in his hands. I think he had a blanket with him, too. He was just standing there sadly, not playing with the rest of the kids. So I went to talk to him. He told me that none of the kids would let him play with them, so he had to settle for just watching them. I told him how sorry I was, and that I wanted to play with him. So he told me his name was Gaara. I remember we talked some more, but I don't remember what about. But before I knew it, dad came up and grabbed my hand and pulled me away, going on and on about how worried I had made him."

"Dad really wouldn't shut up about it. I remember that, too." Emi laughed again. "But still. How do you remember that? You met him for all of, like, twenty minutes. And you were four."

Moeru shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

"And you're sure it was him? You met this boy when you were four, how can you be sure you even really know what he looked like _then_, let alone _now_?" Emi asked.

"It was him," Moeru told her sister. "He had the same eyes. The exact same eyes."

"Well then, I still don't see the problem. The way I see it, this is good. You can go talk to him and actually get to play with him now that dad's not going to drag you away."

Moeru looked at her sister in complete shock. "Did you really just say that, Emi? That is all sorts of not funny."

"God, right. I'm sorry," Emi said apologetically. "I didn't mean to make fun of mom and dad being dead. I just mean… like, this could be like a second chance for you to get to know him, you know?"

Moeru shook her head. "That's not exactly what the problem is, though I can basically assure you that isn't going to happen. No, it's a problem because he's _here_. In _Konoha_. Not _Suna_."

"What's wrong with that? He's probably on a mission or something."

"Emi, what just got announced today?" Moeru asked.

"The Chuunin Ex— wait, you don't think that he's here for the Chuunin Exams, do you?"

"What's more likely to you?" Moeru asked rhetorically.

"Fuck," Emi muttered. "We have to compete with Genin from other villages, too?"

"Yeah," Moeru said, not bothering to glare at her sister for her language. "I'm glad you finally see what the problem is."

"Well if you had started off just mentioning how there are shinobi from other villages here to take the Chuunin exam, the problem would have been much, much more clear," Emi said, returning to bandaging her hands up.

Moeru followed her sisters gaze, her eyes widening with worry when she saw the wounds on her sister's hands. "What on earth did you do?"

"I punched a tree," Emi admitted. "A lot."

"I can tell. Jeez, Emi, what made you so mad that you punched a tree?" Moeru asked. "You never lash out at anything."

"Sasuke," Emi said lividly, speaking his name like a swear word.

"I thought you and Sasuke were the dream couple, Emi…"

Emi snorted. "So did I," she muttered crossly.

"So…" Moeru started. "What did he do?"

"So you remember our second day of training with Yama-sensei, when she put us through Insanity for the first time and it took us until like almost ten to finish?" Emi asked.

"Yeah. I doubt I'll _ever_ forget that."

"And you remember how I went on about how he and I were supposed to spar and he was going to be pissed and everything, right?" Moeru nodded for her to continue. "I went over to his house and explained everything and he said I was forgiven. But no, apparently, I'm very not forgiven."

"Emi," Moeru said. "I'm still waiting for you to tell me what happened."

"He didn't show up for our lunch date. I waited for like almost two hours, and he didn't show up. So I went to his house to see if he was home. He was. And he'd taken a shower. He'd took the time to take a shower, but not the time to go find me and apologize for not showing up like I had. He said he didn't want to show up because I'd be crabby that he was late, but the only reason I was angry was because he didn't care enough to show up at all. He just fucking left me hanging," Emi growled. "I would be totally okay right now if he'd taken just a moment to come and explain, say 'Hey, sorry, my training went late. I'll make it up to you somehow,' you know?"

"Wow," Moeru said. "That's pretty messed up."

"Thank you," Emi said.

"Not at all. I'm always on your side. And even if I wasn't always on your side, I'd be on your side with this. That was not cool of him."

"That's what I'm saying. So, I punched a tree." Emi sighed. "Oh, and then this prick showed up and started getting on me about how loud I was like he owned the world or something."

"Who was he?" Moeru asked.

"I dunno. A Hyuuga, I know that much. He dropped a necklace. I need to leave it with Hinata so she can get it to him," Emi said, reaching into her pocket to pull out the necklace and set it in Moeru's hands.

"Hmm," Moeru said absentmindedly. "This is actually a pretty cool necklace," she said as she turned it over in her hands.

"Doesn't matter. It isn't mine," Emi said flippantly. "I still have to give it back."

"I know, I know," Moeru said. "I didn't mean that you should keep it. In fact, why don't we go drop it off with Hinata at the Hyuuga complex and then go to dinner, you and me? It's been a while since we spent some quality family time together, and you could definitely use it."

Emi shrugged. "Sure. I'd planned on spending the day with Sasuke, but I seriously doubt I'll be doing that today, or any day soon."

Moeru laughed. "I don't know about that, but today, at least."

"Okay, then," Emi said, standing up from the table, taking the rest of the roll of bandages and putting them back in the cabinet under the stairs.

The two of them left the house, locking up behind them. They walked together in a comfortable silence as they made their way to the Hyuuga complex in the richer area of town. Upon arrival, they knocked on the large door, standing back to wait for someone to answer them.

A girl that looked to be only a few years older than Emi opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes," Emi replied with a smile. "Is Hinata around?"

The girl nodded, pulling the door open more. "I think so. I can escort you to her chambers if you want to see her."

"That would be very much appreciated," Moeru told the girl.

She nodded again, turning away from the door and walking away. Emi and Moeru quickly followed after her, closing the door behind them and hurrying to catch up with the girl. She led them through the complex, navigating the confusing maze as if it were nothing. By the time she'd brought the two sisters to Hinata's house, Emi and Moeru were positive they would never find their way out on their own.

"I'm going to go now. Just have Hinata show you out," the girl said, offering a small smile before disappearing around a corner. Emi glanced over at her sister, shrugged, and knocked on the door in front of them. It took a few moments for Hinata to open the door, but she smiled shyly when she saw the two girls standing in front of her. "Oh, Moeru, Emi, what are you two doing here?"

Emi smiled. "Hello, Hinata. We're actually just dropping off something," she said as she reached back into her pocket, pulling out the feather-pendant necklace to show to Hinata. "I ran into one of your family members earlier today, and he dropped this. I don't know his name, but I figured you'd know who it belongs to." Emi set the necklace in Hinata's hands.

Hinata looked down at it. "I'm not positive, but I think this is Neji's. I'll get it to him for you."

_Neji, huh?_ Emi thought absentmindedly. She smiled at Hinata gratefully. "Thank you, Hinata," Emi said.

"Not at all," she replied. "Should I walk you out?"

Moeru and Emi laughed quietly. "That would be quite helpful," Emi and Moeru chimed. "This place is a labyrinth if I've ever seen one," Moeru added.

Hinata nodded amusedly. "Most first-time visitors find it that way. You get used to it after a while." The blue-haired girl stepped out of her house, calling to someone on the inside, "I'll be right back!" and closing the door. She smiled at the two sisters. "Right this way," she said, motioning the way that the girls came.

Finally, they reached the door on the edge of the Hyuuga complex. Hinata turned to them. "It was nice to see you two," she told them with a smile. "I'll make sure this gets to Neji."

Moeru and her sister smiled. "Thanks, Hinata. We appreciate it."

"Anytime, Moeru. Anything for my teammate's girlfriend and her sister."

Moeru looked surprised. "You know about that?"

She smiles. "He's my teammate. I'm around to listen to him talk about you all the time. Anyone that pays attention knows about it. Lucky for you, there aren't actually a lot of people that pay attention to anyone that isn't them."

"Like Sasuke," Emi muttered under her breath.

Hinata looked over. "What?"

Emi laughed, shaking her head. "Nothing, I'm just being bitter."

Hinata offered her a sympathetic smile. "Whatever it is that's bothering, I hope you feel better soon."

The blonde nodded. "Thank you Hinata, and thank you for taking care of the necklace, too."

"Like I said: anytime."

"Good. Well, then," Moeru said, "I think we should get going."

Emi nodded. "See you around, Hina-chan!"

The Hyuuga girl smiled. "Bye, you two."

From a good distance away, the faint sound of Emi's voice reached Neji's ears. He turned just in time to see her and her sister hug his cousin goodbye. _What is she doing here?_ he thought, his brows furrowing. Just before she disappeared through the door, he noticed the bandages around her fists; he smirked to himself automatically.

Hinata turned to look at him, as if she had known he was there. She was at his side in just a moment. "She left this for you," she said timidly, handing him the necklace and hurrying away.

Neji glanced down at his necklace. _Where did she find this? I spent half an hour looking for it._ He used his Byakugan to watch her walking away at her sister's side, talking with her sibling. _I'll have to thank her next time I see her,_ he thought as he slid the necklace on. _Damnit._


	11. Chapter Ten

**So here's part two of my two-part update. :D Yeahp. Here you go(:**

**Oh! And to the reviewer "Dove" which was anon, I have an answer! You're right, that definitely is confusing, and I have fixed that. It's actually KibaxOCxGaara and SasuxOCxNeji. You've gotten tastes of the girls' interests in both. Thank you for pointing that out. Hopefully, this doesn't end up like, entirely spoiling the story, but I would much rather be clear and a bit of a spoiler than confusing and drive readers away.**

**Especially since no one reads this story xD**

**So again, thank you for your feedback, Dove! :D**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Ten**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

Yama looked at her team for a short moment. They were just moments from leaving their training for the last time before the Chuunin Exams began in the morning.

She couldn't say that she was worried about how they would fare in the Chuunin Exams. Each of them had grown so much in the time she'd had with them, especially the last two weeks, each of them learning two new techniques. Not to perfection, she reminded herself, as each of them could do to work on their new jutsus for many, many more hours. But, when one remembered their time line, how little hours they had to learn the new jutsus… yes, Yama was pleased with their work.

Iyasu learned something very advanced, in her opinion, modifying his No-Contact Fighting wind style jutsu into something more lethal - a No-Contact Blade. He had took the longest amount of time of Yama's three students to learn his specialization technique, but the degree of perfection was much higher than either of the sisters'. It didn't round him off as a fighter, but it made him more likely to get out of a battle alive nevertheless.

Moeru, however, did learn a technique that rounded her off quite nicely. She hadn't quite mastered it, but she'd learned how to manifest her inner flame and project it into the world as a ball of fiery fury. The flaming ball wasn't quite as large as Yama had hoped it would be by now, but Yama supposed that the distance it covered could make up for some of that. Moeru's breathing was flawless, and in the last two days, she learned how to break the grand fire ball into several smaller ones, all through her mastering of her breathing. They would work on maximizing the size of the jutsus after the Exams, but with the addition of the ranged attacks to her already heavily melee-focused fighting style, Moeru was a threat from any distance.

Emi's progress had made Yama the most proud, learning not only a new jutsu, but a completely new style of jutsu. Yama had remembered what Moeru had told her about her sister's "specialization" with chakra, and had seen it demonstrated with her already very advanced medical ninjutsus. So, Yama suggested that Emi learn how to make and use chakra strings, very much in the way that a puppet-master would.

Of course, she was no where near the skill level of a puppet-master with the jutsu, but Yama and Emi both knew from the start that puppet-style jutsu wasn't the main goal of her training. For now, they simply wanted her to be able to use it in combat against her opponent. They worked on her forming the strings quickly, attaching them with the slightest of contact, and then maintaining their strength in order to manipulate what was ensnared. First, she just worked with kunai, but when Yama showed how she could entangle her opponent directly, they began work on how to use it in real battle._ Emi might not be able to have her opponent turn around and leave the battlefield,_ Yama thought,_ but she certainly can stop a limb or two from moving to give her the advantage. Maybe even yank legs out from under her opponent so that she literally has the upper hand._

Even more, she had taught her students the basics of chakra strength. They were no where near the incredible superhuman strength of the jutsu's maker, Tsunade, but that was to be expected from three Genin. Moeru didn't need it as much as the others, as she definitely had the most physical strength of the three, and Iyasu probably wouldn't think to use it in combat. Emi did seem to take a real liking to it, though, probably because it made her blows almost as powerful as her sister's.

It wasn't much, but it was something. Yama had wanted to give them every possible tool to survive the exams.

_Who knows?_ Yama added mentally to her inner montage. _Maybe the stress of a real battle would help them master their new techniques on the fly._

She looked at her three students again as they all capped their water bottles, each of them knowing that it was time for them to circle up around their sensei. "Well," Yama said. "It's not perfect."

She saw each of them get a defeated look in their eyes, glancing downward automatically before remembering that she hated it when her students did that, each looking back up almost immediately.

"It's not perfect," Yama repeated, "but it'll do. I'm confident you'll all excel tomorrow morning," she told her students with a proud smile, something that was somewhat of a rarity.

Emi was the first to smile with relief, the others quickly following after. "God, I can't wait."

"Now, you all need to go home and go straight to bed. You need to be at least thirty minutes early to the Exam, and I want you all to have _at least_ ten hours of sleep tonight. There's no telling what you'll be doing for each exam, and as such, there's no telling how much sleep you'll be able to get over the next few weeks. So sleep up." Yama smirked. "Get going."

The three students nodded eagerly. "Yes, sensei!" they chimed before turning away, headed for town. For the first time, the three walked together, something Yama had not seen happen before.

Yama smiled. _They're finally a team,_ she recognized. _About damn time._

~#~

Each member of Team 2 was precisely half an hour early to the school, arriving at 2:30. Emi and Moeru met Iyasu out front, greeting him warmly with smiles before entering the school building.

"It's weird to be back here," Emi said as they stepped through the front door. "It's been so long since we graduated."

"It does feel a little nostalgic," Moeru agreed with a nod of her head, her eyes running over the familiar rooms as she walked past them.

"I wouldn't mind if we had the entire Chuunin Exam here. I kind of miss it," Iyasu said as they climbed the stairs.

Just as they exited the first stairwell, they caught sight of a group of people standing in front of the closest door, the sign above reading "301". Emi gave the sign a a look full of scrutiny before muttering to her teammates. "Isn't this the second floor?"

"Yeah," Moeru said, looking to her sister. "Why?"

"The sign says 301. And everyone is crowding around the door."

Iyasu smirked. "Then they're all inattentive, because that's obviously a genjutsu. Let's just move past them."

Emi's eyes noticed a familiar flash of dark hair out of the corner of her vision. She looked over with her full attention to find Sasuke in mid-kick, his leg stopped by a boy in an obnoxious green jumpsuit. She frowned - she was still angry with Sasuke. "Yeah. Let's just go," she said.

"Did you see that?" Moeru asked, bewildered. "The guy in green moved so fast! How did he do that?"

"Mo, come on. Sensei wanted us to turn in our applications early," Emi said, starting to push past the crowd, Iyasu following behind her. A pair of white eyes met Emi's bright green eyes, but Emi shrugged it off as she headed away, her team following her as she headed for the second stairwell. _He's here, too? Grand. Sasuke and that Hyuuga boy. And whoever it was that Moeru was freaking out about. These boys are going to make the Chuunin Exam complicated._ Emi shook her head with a deep sigh.

Finally, they reached the third floor. Room 301 was the only room on the third floor, and was located at the end of a short hallway. The three saw Yama standing in front of the large double doors with a smile. "I'm glad to see you were all punctual today."

"It's good to see you, too, sensei," Moeru said with a smirk.

"Now, come here for a moment," Yama instructed. "I have some things I wish to warn you about."

The three gathered round their sensei, waiting patiently for her words.

"When you go inside this room, don't be arrogant or boastful. Don't try to pull much attention to yourselves at all, if you can avoid it. It would be unwise to do so."

"Why?" Iyasu asked hesitantly.

"There are people in this room that would appreciate your silence, and you would do well to respect that," Yama told them. "I can't say much more than that. Go in, find a seat, and sit down."

"And the other thing?" Emi asked. "You said there was more than one thing you wanted to say."

"Ah, yes," Yama said, a smile coming to her face. "Be quick, be efficient, and most of all, be sneaky."

Moeru raised her eyebrows questioningly. "What does that mean?"

"I can't tell you, Moeru. You have to figure that out on your own." Yama smiled even more. "You all are going to do great. Don't feel intimidated, but don't act foolishly or cowardly, either." Yama then stood aside from the doors. "Go inside, now. You're ready."

The three looked at each other with confident smirks. "Let's do this!" Emi said excitedly, already forgetting her sensei's instructions as she pushed open the doors.

The sight that greeted the three Genin was terrifying, to say the least. The room was filled with ninja, from Konoha and elsewhere; they all seemed to be much older than the three Genin that had just entered the room, and all of them looked to be covered in scars, their expressions hardened from battle.

"Shit," Emi muttered. "We're going to die."

"Emi!" Moeru scolded. "Relax. Let's just find somewhere to sit."

Iyasu chose not to say anything, and from the look in his eyes, that was the right choice for him at the moment: the fear in his eyes would have rang out loudly in his voice. The three made their way to the edge of the room to and empty patch of the school room desks. They felt anxious as sharp eyes followed their movements hungrily from across the room.

Other Genin trickled into the room, three at a time. She soon saw the arrogant boy with the white eyes enter the room with his team, one of his teammates being the boy with the bowl cut and a dark green jumpsuit, the other being a girl with her brown hair pulled up into buns and a pink shirt. Emi frowned at his teammates but couldn't help but watch him, glancing at him more often than she would have ever admitted.

Ino's team then arrived. The other blonde girl smiled when she caught sight of Emi and Moeru, waving to her friends excitedly. Moeru shook her head at Ino with the caution in her eyes, nodding her head to the room around them. Ino glanced around before nodding and turning away.

Then Kiba's team entered the room, quiet as a mouse, slipping in and sitting down quietly. Kiba and Moeru's eyes caught on each other, and Kiba winked at her, but then they both turned around and forced themselves not to look at each other.

Sasuke's group then came in. Naruto was being loud as always, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, including Team 2. Emi's eyes finally peeled away from the Hyuuga boy to look over at Team 7. Initially, she kept her eyes on the obnoxiously loud blonde boy, but her eyes inevitably went to look at Sasuke, looking straight at her.

Sasuke wiggled a finger at her for her to come over to where he was standing; the gesture was barely noticeable, but Emi saw it and sighed. "I'll be right back," she murmured, standing up from the table. She heard the others stand and follow after her a few moments later, but chose not to turn, looking straight at Sasuke. The raven haired boy quietly removed himself from his team, walking toward the corner of the room.

Emi finally reached him. She looked at him expectantly. "What do you want, Sasuke?" she asked, her arms crossed firmly across her chest.

"You to talk to me again. It's been two weeks, Emi," he said. "You're still mad?"

Emi raised her eyebrows skeptically at him to answer his question, the way he always had done to her.

"Come on, Emi. Can't you get over that?"

"Why? So that you get away with standing me up and not even bothering to make up for it?"

"Haven't you already made your point?" Sasuke asked. "Look, I'm sorry."

"And by the wa- what?" Emi asked, her eyes blinking surprisedly. "You're what?"

"You're going to make me say it again?" he asked indignantly.

"You're sorry?" she asked, amazed. "Sasuke Uchiha is apologizing?" Emi giggled.

Sasuke sighed. "Yes, Sasuke Uchiha is apologizing." He watched impatiently as Emi giggled more. "Can you just accept it already?" he asked.

"Aww, Sasuke Uchiha is apologizing _and_ begging."

"Emi…"

Emi smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Apology accepted," she murmured as she pulled away.

Sasuke nodded. "Good." He flashed her one of his micro smiles, Emi returning the smile one hundred fold.

Moeru looked over at her sister with a warm feeling of happiness in her chest. "It's about time," she muttered to Kiba, whom she had gone over to sit by when Emi had went to talk to Sasuke.

Kiba grinned, following Moeru's eyes. "They finally made up? After what? Three weeks?"

"Two, but yeah. It's been a while." Moeru smiled. "Promise we won't wait that long to settle an argument?"

"We never argue," Kiba said. "How much do we really have to worry about that?"

Moeru shrugged. "Still. Just promise."

Kiba smirked his wolfish smirk. "Promise."

"Good," Moeru said with a laugh. Akamaru climbed off his perch on Kiba's head into Moeru's lap, signaling the girl to pet him with a small bark. Moeru happily complied, an amused laugh leaving her throat as she played good-naturedly with the dog, unaware of the sea-foam green eyes looking at her.

"What're you looking at, Gaara?" Temari asked.

"Nothing," he said, turning away.

Temari gave Kankurou a curious look, both of them trying to follow where Gaara's eyes had been. Suddenly, however, a bang at the front of the room captured the attention of every student in the room, stealing their worries of Gaara's gazing away.

Standing tall at the front of the room was a man with a horrendously scarred face and a black bandanna over the top of his bald head, the Konoha insignia shining on the metal band of the forehead protector sewn into the bandanna. He smiled at the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said. "I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner of the First test of the Chuunin Exams." He grinned at the room. "There are a few rules to be said. First, you are not permitted to fight each other during the Exams unless giver permission by the examiners. Second, even if permission is given, you are not allowed to kill your opponents." Ibiki's eyes darkened. "The pigs who go against these rules will be failed immediately. Understood?"

The room met his question with silence.

"It is time to begin the first exam of the Chuunin Selection Exam. Turn in your applications and take one of these number tags," he said, holding up the tag reading "1". "Sit where the tag tells you to. We will pass out the paper for the written exam when everyone is seated."

Moeru looked over at Emi, and then at Iyasu. "Written exam?" she asked hesitantly. All of her teammates, in fact, the entire room had the same look of distress on their faces.

Slowly, a line began to form at the front of the room. Everyone turned in their applications and were handed a number tag. When Moeru got to the front of the line, turning in her application, she saw that the number tags were not in order. _They're separating us from our teams? Just what kind of test is this?_ she thought, watching Emi and Iyasu as they took their numbers with dismay.

Finally, everyone was seated, and Moeru saw to her distaste that Emi and Iyasu were on the other side of the room from her, as was everyone else she knew. She was surrounded entirely by either Konoha Genin from age groups several older than her own or Genin from foreign countries. Looking across the room at her blonde sister, she saw that Emi was not much better off, aside from a boy from Konoha sitting on her right that looked to only be a year or two older than Moeru, around the same age as Emi. Iyasu was seated next to Shino, but that was probably the only familiar face around him.

Moeru frowned. There was something fishy about this test.

Ibiki spoke up then. "Now that we are all seated, there are some rules that pertain to the first exam specifically. I will not accept questions, so listen carefully." He turned to the board and began writing on it. "First rule: you will be given ten points to start. The written exam consists of ten questions, each of which is worth one point. It is a deduction based test. If you answer a question incorrectly, you lose one point. If you answer three questions incorrectly, you lose three points."

Emi nodded. _That makes sense._

"Second rule: the pass/fail decision will be made by your team's total points." The room let out a collective gasp of disapproval, which Ibiki met with a sharp, "Shut up! There is a reason for it." He waited for just a moment before continuing. "Third rule: if an examiner determines that you cheated during the test, or did anything similar to cheating, each action will lose you two points." Another gasp filled the room. "In other words, there will be people who are forced to leave the room without their tests being graded." Ibiki grinned. "You are trying to become Chuunin. To do so, you must act like first-rate ninja."

Moeru nodded. _I can do that._

"Oh, and if anyone on your team gets a zero, the entire will fail."

Emi heard Sakura burst out angrily. "What?" she spat, unable to contain herself. Emi looked in front of her to her right where Naruto sat; it seemed that he knew as well as the rest of the room that he was the cause of the rosette's outburst.

"The last question will be given 45 minutes after the test begins," Ibiki said. "You have one hour for the exam." On the wall, the clock struck 3:30. "Begin!" Ibiki announced authoritatively.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Hey all! So it's been a while since I last uploaded, but boy, do I have a treat for you! Yeah, and it's called over 10,000 words of updates(: Yep, I have 3 chapters ready for you all!**

**I have a few things I want to say before you get to reading, though. So hopefully, you haven't already skipped over this! haha**

**First, from here on out, things basically follow cannon. The story is set to follow what happens, and therefore, things are going to seem familiar to you if you've ever watched up to episode 25 of Naruto. xD I apologize if that makes things seem boring. I also apologize if things aren't exact - for some parts, I go along with what really happens, but a.) I don't want to just rewrite the anime - you've (probably) already seen it, and probably don't want to read it again; and b.) I'm lazy and don't want to have to look up every little bit. I'll do my best to make things accurate, but I'll also do my best to keep the story interesting! :DD**

**Second... I realized that I never actually explained how Iyasu's eyes work; this is due, in part, because when I first came up with him, I didn't actually have an idea for how they work, but also largely because I never found a place to bring it up once I did figure it out. So I will, at some point, go back an edit the earlier chapters so that it has this information, but for those of you that are caught up anyway and just need this tidbit so that his test-taking makes sense... allow me to just explain here: BASICALLY his eyes are slow-motion capture, and allow him to analyze more subtle motions by slowing down movements. Through training, he's gotten to the point where he has a near-photographic memory, so that helps with his analysis and jazz like that. So yeah, when you get there... that's how it works(:**

**Please enjoy part one of three of today's updates! :DD**

**Disclaimer: You should know by now! I obviously don't own Naruto. It's not like I magically turned into Misashi Kishimoto over night or something...**

**Please leave some reviews! There is currently only like 9. For now over 40,000 words of writing, 9 reviews is sort of depressing. Leave a review to make me a happier author? :DD**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By Lex Logikk**

**Chapter Eleven**

_Third Person Point of View_

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Moeru's eyes shot down to look over her paper. As she read over the questions, she couldn't help but think of her friends. _The only other person in our year that's smart enough to know the answers to these questions is Sakura. Emi might know 2 or 3, but even she won't be able to figure these all out._ Moeru's bright red eyes peer over at Ibiki. _What's going on here, exactly?_

Emi also looked down at her paper, frowning solidly at it. _There's _no way_ I'll figure any of this out. _She glanced around at the people around her, almost all of them looking how she imagined she herself looked: completely lost. There seemed to be a few people that were steadfastly working on the questions with little or no problems, but they were all too far away for Emi to even hope to steal a glance at one of their papers. She sighed silently.

Iyasu held his head in his hands. He knew the questions were way beyond his ability of answering. The sound of pencil striking the table through paper rang in his ears, as the Genin sitting directly in front of him and to his left was writing probably about as loudly as he could. It made Iyasu grit his teeth. _Something isn't right here… _he thought sourly.

Moeru glanced at Ibiki. _He's getting at something. The rules don't make enough sense._

Emi glanced to her right at the sound of someone starting to write, at the boy working quietly on his test. _He's perfect._

Iyasu glanced at the examiners sitting on the side of the room. He smiled. _I get it now._

Moeru's eyes widened slightly as everything clicked. She glanced down at her paper. _You're _supposed _to cheat. You're just also supposed to be good at it._

The boy sitting next to Emi looked over at her, as if he'd sensed her peering at him. She quickly, coyly looked away, peering back with a fake caution before turning back to her own paper. _I'll have him rolling over and barking on command by the end of this test._

_Good thing I won't need to cheat. Reconnaissance was never my strong point. I'll just have to hope Emi and Iyasu are careful,_ Moeru thought.

Iyasu glances in front of him, at the Genin working loudly on his test. _He's a little far away, but I'll probably be able to read his test if I use my dojutsu. I'll just have to wait for him to finish._

Moeru glanced back down. _I should probably get to work. These questions are going to take me a while._

Finally, after a good ten minutes, Emi glanced back over at the boy, who was already a third of the way through the test. He slowly glanced up as well, looking at her curiously. "…Can I help you?" he asked quietly.

Emi shook her head subtly. "No, I'm sorry. I just… I don't understand any of this."

He nodded. "It's a little hard, yeah," he muttered, looking at Emi with a slight blush.

She nodded in return, nibbling on her lip and returning her gaze to her test for a moment. "You seem to get it pretty well," she said with a shrug, fidgeting with her hair by twirling it around her fingers.

He snickered. "Well… I've sort of already passed this test before."

Emi looked at him skeptically. "Wait, you're a Chuunin already? Why are you here, then?"

The boy smirked at Emi. "For people to cheat off of."

Emi's eyes sharpened for a moment. _Of course. That makes so much sense… but it also means he's been prepared to look out for people trying to get the answers from him. _Emi giggled quietly, holding a hand to her mouth to silence the sound. She noticed how it made the boy smirk. _He obviously sucks at resisting girls though. I don't think it would hurt me to just get to the point, though… the kid kinda digs me._ "So what would a girl have to do to get you to give her the answers?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

"For a girl like you?" he asked, a spark in his eye. "Not much."

Emi tilted her head subtly, smiling at him. "How much is not much?"

He shrugged. "Well considering we're under close observation, nothing, really. But," he said, giving her a more serious look. "But just keep in mind that not everyone you try to seduce for information is going to have morals, or is going to be in a situation where they cannot do anything. Seduction is hard line to walk."

The blonde sighed and nodded. "I know. Believe me, I know." _I know just how bad people are out there._

He nodded. "Well, then as long as you're prepared for that. I'd say you're cute enough to earn the answers to this test." He smirked at her, shifting his paper over for her to look at subtly.

"Why, thank you." Emi grinned at him happily. She felt a little dismayed that he saw through her act, but realized that she got what she needed out of it, and shrugged the rest of it off.

"Don't mention it."

Emi started to say something, but he interrupted her. "No, seriously. Don't mention it."

She nodded. "Okay, then." She quickly jotted down the answers to the test, hurrying to finish before the clock ticked to the end of the first forty-five minutes of the test. _I feel like that should have been more difficult,_ Emi thought to herself skeptically.

Iyasu looked at the boy sitting in front of him. He formed the bird seal to activate his eyes, capturing the image of what he saw, looking closely at the answers and quickly writing them down. (explanation at top)

Moeru finally set down her pencil, sighing deeply. _That was way harder than I thought it would be… _She looked around the room at the rest of the students, all of whom seemed to be still hard at work at their tests. She sighed, sitting back in the chair. _Good thing the test is almost over. I hope Emi and Iyasu are doing well. I just hope they didn't cheat… or at least haven't gotten caught._

Time passed, minutes being ticked away on the clock, _tick, tick, tick_; finally, the clock struck 3:45, and Ibiki stood up at the front of the classroom and cleared his throat.

"It's been forty-five minutes, so it's time for the tenth question!" he told the class. "But first, I am going to add special rules for the tenth question."

The class erupted into murmurs.

"First, you will all get the choice on whether or not you will take the tenth question."

The sound of confusion, and minor outrage, filled the room. Emi saw and heard a girl with blonde hair pulled into four spiked ponytails protest. "What? Choose? What happens if you choose not to take the tenth question?" she demanded loudly.

Ibiki grinned, replying, "If you choose not to take the tenth question, your score will be zero." He took a sadistic pause, looking around the room. "In other words, you fail! And, of course, the same goes for the other two shinobi in your group."

Someone in the class, Moeru couldn't tell from where, shouted out, "What do you mean by that? Of course everyone is going to choose to take the tenth question!"

Ibiki nodded, as if going along with the students. "There is, however, one more rule…"

The students all quieted in anticipation, listening intently for the last rule.

"If you choose to take the last question, and are unable to answer it correctly, you must relinquish your right to take the Chuunin Exam forever."

Kiba stood up from his seat, outraged. "What kind of ridiculous rule is that? Besides, there are plenty of people here who have taken the Chuunin Exam several times!" he shouted loudly.

Ibiki snickered deeply, hauntingly. "You're just unlucky. I make the rules this year. But, I did give you the option to go back. Those of you who are not confident cant choose to not take the tenth question and can take the Exam next year, or the year after that." Ibiki looked around the room just once more. "So, let's begin. All of those who wish to not take the tenth question can indicate their choice by raising their hand. After I verify your number and the numbers of your teammates, you will be asked to leave.

"Who will choose to not take the tenth and final question of this year's Chuunin Exam?" he asked, a look of hunger in his eyes.

It took a moment, but finally, one hand found it's way into the air. The boy, whose hand had been raised, stood up with shame slumping his shoulders as he apologized to his teammates. Then, hand after hand rose into the air, teams leaving in twos and threes. Emi sat, thinking. _I know I'll take it. It's risky, but so is life as a kunoichi. I just spent forty-five minutes of my time, and it'll be forty-five minutes of time wasted if I don't take the exam._

Moeru fiddled with her pencil. _I'm ready for it. Whatever it is, I can handle it._

Iyasu glanced at his teammates, seeing them looking determined and easily being able to tell they had made up their minds: they were going to take the tenth question. _Well,_ he thought, _I surely can't let them fail because of me._ He grinned to himself. _Fine. I'll take it. Tenth question, here I come!_

Just then, in front of Iyasu, he saw Naruto slowly raise his hand. The eyes of everyone in the room seemed to gravitate toward the orange sleeve.

"No…" Moeru muttered, surprised. _I can't believe Naruto is backing down from a challenge…_

His hand slammed down on the table. "Don't underestimate me!" he shouted. "I won't run! Even if I'm stuck as a Genin forever! I'll become Hokage no matter what!"

For just a split second, Emi thought she saw Ibiki smirk. "Alright, then. I'll ask again. This is a choice that will alter your life. Those who do not wish to take the tenth question should leave the room immediately. If you want to quit, now is your chance!"

He looked around the room yet again. _Is he… nodding to the others?_ Emi thought to herself. She braced herself. _He's going to say the final question, now._

_It's happening_, Moeru thought, excitement bidding her heart to beat faster.

_Now or never_, Iyasu thought with a nod.

"I like your determination!" Ibiki said, nodding once more, seemingly to himself. "For those of you that remain… you have passed the First Exam!"

Everyone was taken aback, but Emi quickly shook it off. "We passed? Really?"

Ibiki nodded, with a genuine smile on his face.

Sakura stood up. "What does that mean? What about the tenth question?"

"There was never such a thing!" Ibiki said. "You can consider the choice you just made the tenth question!"

"Then what was the purpose of the other nine questions?" the blonde girl with spiked ponytails asked. "They were just a waste of time!"

"No, they weren't. They were to test your individual ability to gather information," he told her. "All of you surely figured that out, at least to some degree. Few of you, if any, would be able to answer the questions without cheating. And, by making the test team based, I added the unimaginable pressure of dragging your team down with you," Ibiki said with a smirk.

"Yeah! I sensed something like that about this test," Naruto said, earning a deep glare from his pink-headed teammate.

"But," Ibiki continued, "these questions weren't ones most Genin could answer. So, as many of you must have realized… you had to cheat to get the answers to pass. In other words, the exam assumed that everyone was going to cheat. So," Ibiki said, looking around the room, "we snuck in two Chuunin to be the targets of the cheating."

Proudly, two of the boys in the room, one of them being the boy who sat next to Emi, smiled and made eye-contact with many of the other students.

Again, Naruto made a bullshit comment. "Yeah, of course. It would have been weird to have not noticed that!" Sakura glared again, causing both Emi and Moeru to smirk up.

"But those who cheated like fools failed, of course," Ibiki said as his hands snuck upward to untie his bandanna. "Why?" he asked, pulling the fabric off of his head. "Because information can have more value than life, on missions and on battlefields."

The room was filled with gasps as the students saw the masses of scars from past injuries that covered Ibiki's scalp, the mark of burns and cuts long since healed. "Information is worth more than the lives of people."

Moeru, who was seated the closest to Sasuke, overheard him mumble, "How awful… burns, screw holes, and cuts… they're the scars of torture."

Ibiki fasted the bandanna over his head again as he continued to talk. "Information that is retrieved when you are noticed will not necessarily be accurate. Remember this," he said somberly, looking deeply into the eyes of every student in the room. "Gathering incorrect information will put you, your teammates, and your village in the way of danger."

He smiled slightly, easing up the tension and relaxing his shoulders. "So we made you gather information in the form of cheating. Those who were lacking in that field were removed. That is all that happened."

The blonde girl, Temari, frowned, leaning forward on her elbows. "I still can't agree with the Tenth question," she objected, looking up at Ibiki.

"But the Tenth question was the main question of the First Exam!" he told the room.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, still confused.

Ibiki nodded. "Let me explain," he told her, and everyone else, all eyes intently laid on him. "The Tenth question was not a 'take or not take' question. Needless to say, it was a painful two-choice problem. Those who did not take it failed the exam. Those who took it but could not answer it would be stuck as Genin for forever. The problem was quite insincere. But," he said beginning to pace, "consider this problem:

"You have become a Chuunin, and your mission is to capture a secret document. The number of enemy ninja, their abilities, and their armaments are unknown. There may be traps that the enemy has set up. Now, will you accept this mission or not? Just because the lives of you and your teammates may be in danger, are you able to avoid dangerous missions? The answer is," he said, pausing to look at the students with an intensely serious look, "No."

He took a breath to look around, making sure his words sunk in. "There are missions that carry heavy risks, but that cannot be avoided. The ability to show courage to your teammates when needed, and the ability to get through a bad situation… those are qualities we look for in Chuunin, the squad leaders. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation, those who give up when they're given the chance because there is a 'next year', and those who let their minds sway when given an uncertain future… fools who carry only a light determination like that do not have the right to become Chuunin. That is what I believe."

He now almost smiled with pride as he looked at the remaining students. "I am saying that those of you who have elected to take the Tenth question answered right simply by making that choice. You can deal with the difficulties you will face. You have stepped through the first door. The First Exam of the Chuunin selections ends now," he said finally. With a last smile, he added, "I wish you luck."

"Yes!" Naruto burst out excitedly and obnoxiously. Emi herself let out a relieved laugh, and Moeru could not wipe the smile off her face. _We passed!_ she thought excitedly.

Unfortunately, there was no time to celebrate. The sound of shattering glass reached the students' ears, a black mass shooting through the windows on the left side of the classroom. It happened so fast that Moeru didn't even see a woman shoot kunai attached to a huge black banner into the ceiling. Finally, everyone's brains caught up, and they all saw the woman that stood in front of them.

She had bluish purple hair, pulled back into a spike ponytail. Her body was covered in mesh, and she had a tan trench coat that reached to the floor and an orange skirt. Her eyes were wild, Emi noticed. But, maybe it was just a trick of the light — or the way the woman had entered the room. Just maybe. The banner behind her read in white lettering, 'Second examiner, Mitarashi Anko, is here!'

"I am the Second examiner. Let's go to the next exam! Follow me!"

Ibiki poked his head around the side of the banner, which had been completely in front of him. "Grasp the atmosphere, Anko," he said plainly.

Anko's eyes drifted over the students. "78…? You let 26 teams pass, Ibiki?" she asked. "The first exam must have been too soft."

"There are many excellent students this year," he said with a grin.

Anko shrugged with a smirk. "Whatever. The next exam will make more than half the teams fail." She grinned a little more deeply, her eyes growing even more wild. "I'm getting excited…" she said creepily. "I will tell you the details tomorrow. We will go somewhere else, so ask your Jounin for the place and time." She nodded. "That is it. Dismissed."

Moeru looked over at her two teammates excitedly as they all got up from their seats. Meeting up at the door, the three of them left together. As soon as they were out of earshot from Ibiki, the three of them lit up with exuberance, exclaiming excitedly. "Yes!" they all said in unison, unable to contain their joy any longer. "We did it!"

Emi pulled Moeru and Iyasu into a group hug, draping her arms over their shoulders. "We're one step closer, guys!" she told them happily.

"One down," Iyasu chimed.

"And two to go," Moeru finished with a chirp.

"Tomorrow," Emi said, "we kick ass."

The others nodded in agreement, almost as if it was a fact.

They were going to kick ass tomorrow.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Part two of three! Yay! This will undoubtedly be dedicated to Britt-sama, who is the one who got me off my GD lazy ass to actually update what I had written. I hope she fangasms over her scenes in a totally non-awkward way(: lmao**

**Onward! Don't forget to review!**

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**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Twelve**

_Third Person Point of View_

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Emi and Moeru left the school, the sun already beginning to set. Iyasu at their side, they all three talked amongst themselves animatedly, so excited that they managed to get through the First Exam. None of them could wait to tell Yama-sensei that they had done so well.

The blonde girl smiled brightly at her two teammates. "We should go out to eat to celebrate!" she suggested. "Go find Yama and tell her all about it!" She grinned proudly at the sound of her idea.

Iyasu smirked but shook his head. "I can't. I have to go take care of some things back home," he told the two sisters. "But I'll be up bright and early to see you guys before the next Exam tomorrow. Want to meet up for breakfast and invite Yama-sensei?"

Moeru nodded her head, her reddish brown hair swinging around her head with the motion. "Yeah, that sounds awesome. See you then! Make sure you get a lot of sleep tonight!"

Iyasu grinned. "You guys, too. See you later!" he called as he turned and hurried away, to the other side of town where he lived.

Emi turned to her sister. "Okay, so what do you want to do, little sister? It's just you and me." She smiled brightly. "We can still go out to eat to celebrate if you want."

Moeru smirked to her sister and nodded in agreement again. "I like the sound of that. Is ramen okay?" Her eyes sparkled as she mentioned her favorite food.

Emi laughed. "Yeah, I suppose that ramen will be fine." She let out a small sigh before turning to start walking to Ichiraku's.

Her sister followed after her eagerly. "So, how did that talk with Sasuke go? I noticed it went well, but I mean, what did you guys talk about?"

Emi's eyes couldn't help but light up, giggling to herself quietly as she recalled the earlier events. "Well, _the_ Sasuke Uchiha actually apologized to me for being a complete asshole. That was pretty awesome."

"Wow. Sasuke Uchiha, admitting he was wrong? About anything, let alone a relationship? This guy must like you."

"I sure hope so," Emi replied with another amused giggle. "He should. I'm awesome." She paused for a second, inhaling sharply, before continuing. "But no, that's really what happened. He actually apologized, and you know… it's him. So that meant a lot. And that was all I had been asking for. So we made up, and we're all okay, now," Emi concluded just after she had taken a seat at Ichiraku's. She smiled over at her sister. "It's nice to not have to be mad at him anymore."

"I know what you mean. I'm just hope Kiba and I never have to fight like that. You know how bad I am at being angry."

Emi let out a loud, boisterous laugh. "You're terrible at being angry. I've never seen you be able to hold a grudge for any amount of time longer than two weeks."

"That would be because it's never happened," Moeru said with a shrug. "I'd rather just forgive and forget and move on. It makes life easier, you know?"

"But so does proving a point, don't you think?" Emi asked. "You can't just keep saying everything is okay. Sometimes, you have to say that enough is enough."

"Thankfully, I have yet to come to the point where enough is enough." Moeru winked at her sister before looking over at Ichiraku, placing one of her several usual orders, the pork-ramen-and-keep-it-coming. Emi followed quickly, asking for one (and making a point of ordering just one) order of beef ramen.

"You're paying for your food, by the way," she mentioned teasingly after Ichiraku went to the back of the shop to begin preparing their food.

"Shut up," Moeru shot back with a laugh. "But no, I think it's great you two made up. It's not healthy to spend too much time being angry with people. It was getting to the point where you needed to do _something_ about the situation, if you ask me."

Emi smiled half-heartedly, looking down at her fidgeting hands. "And by that you mean, work it out or break up."

Moeru nodded. "Well, not quite that extreme, but probably something along those lines."

Emi smiled. "I know. I'd been thinking something like that was going to happen lately. I'm glad it was the former and not the latter. It would really suck if we broke up after just over two months." Emi chuckled softly to herself. "That's not a noteworthy relationship at all."

"Well, you can put your mind off it for a while," Moeru said as Mr. Ichiraku smiled at her, setting down the two girls' food and bidding them enjoyment. "You need to focus on tomorrow."

"I know!" Emi said, suddenly excited. "God, I can't wait! What do you think the next Exam will be?"

Moeru shook with laugher as she hurried to finish the food she had already shoveled into her mouth. "I have no idea, sis. We'll find out in the morning. But I hope it's something more physical than sitting in a classroom, taking a test and freaking out about making a mistake that will make your teammates hate you for months at a time. I want to show what we can do. We did all that training with Yama, and I would be so disappointed if it all went to waste."

"It won't go to waste," Emi said as she picked at her food. "There's no way they would promote us without making sure we're battle ready." She smirked. "If there's not combat in the next Exam, there'll have to be combat in the next one. There has to be at least _one_ test with face-to-face combat."

"Good," Moeru said, finishing her first bowl and starting on the second that Mr. Ichiraku had placed in front of her. "Because learning how to do that fireball was really freaking difficult."

"So were chakra strings. Like… damn. I hope I get to kick someone's ass in there. That'll be fun." Emi smirked proudly. She grinned for a moment before downing the last of the broth in her bowl.

"Well, we'll find out tomorrow, won't we?" Moeru said with a grin as she tore through the rest of her food. "Just two tonight, I guess, Mr.."

"Just two?" Mr. Ichiraku asked, amazed. "That's a surprise. Not losing your appetite are you? You and Naruto single-handedly keep me in business," he said jokingly.

Moeru laughed. "No, of course not. I'll be back, don't you worry."

Mr. Ichiraku joined Moeru in laughter. "I don't worry that you'll come back in the slightest."

The two girls smiled politely at the restaurant as they paid the bill. "See you around!" they called as they left.

"We should get home," Emi suggested as the two of them left. "We should probably turn in early tonight."

"Sounds good to me," Moeru said with a smile. "I'll take all the sleep I can get before tomorrow."

So the two of them headed home. Ichiraku was close by to their house, so it only took them about five minutes to arrive at their doorstep, climbing the stairs up to their rooms quickly and bidding each other good night.

Moeru tried to sleep. She really did. She dressed herself in her favorite, comfortable blue pajama pants, covered in a print of lightning and rain clouds, the matching white t-shirt on her back. She laid in her bed, her eyes closed as they should be, but her mind kept on racing, speeding through thought after thought about how tomorrow might unfold. She simply could not turn off her brain.

She looked out the window, at the tree that hung in front of her window. It was a good three-foot jump from the ledge, but that was nothing for a girl who frequently went up to the roof. She made the jump easily, landing lightly on one of the thick branches and beginning her climb to the roof.

She sat on the edge, with her legs hanging off the edge. She could see a great deal of the village from this vantage point, the Hokage Mountains shining brilliantly under the direct moonlight. The moon was full and bright, shining not only against the mountains, but against all of Konoha.

The young girl almost didn't hear the footsteps behind her, they were so silent, like a light breeze over the graves of the dead on a still, dark night. She was almost scared to turn to look, doubting herself in that she heard the noise at all, but also fearful that maybe she had. Indeed, when she turned around to see, there was a person standing behind her, but Moeru felt no sort of threatened by him; his red hair ruffled in the wind, his bright sea-green eyes holding no hostility as he looked at her.

"What are you doing here?" Moeru asked calmly but curiously, gazing at him as she tried to fight the memories.

The boy didn't reply, only staring deep into her eyes with a subtle silence.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again as the boy continued to get closer to her.

"Do you remember me?" he asked finally, his voice cold and distant as he reached her. He continued to look at her intensely.

Moeru shifted under his gaze, starting to feel uncomfortable. "…What do you mean?" she murmured, looking away to break the tension between their eyes.

"Do you remember me?" he repeated himself, this time sounding more intense. Moeru could have sworn she heard desperation in his voice, that subtle break in his voice that hinted ever so slightly at a weakness.

She sighed slightly, finally allowing the memories to rush in as she stared out at the village in front of her. Her eyes followed the outlines of roofs highlighted by moonlight, but her eyes saw the streets of Suna, the children that had been her age playing in the street… and the small boy, also her age, that hadn't been allowed to play with the rest.

"Yes," she said after a very long pause. "Yes, I remember you."

"What's my name?" he asked, with his eyes ever fixed on her. She couldn't have known, but his entire being was hanging in the air around her answer. He needed her to know his name — not because he needed _her_ to know him for what he could have been, but because he needed _someone_ to know him for what he could have been: something other than a monster.

Moeru smirked a small smirk to herself, allowing herself to chuckle, a small exhale of a laugh. She turned to look at him with an open face. "Your name is Gaara."

Gaara let out a breath, a silent breath that neither knew he had been holding that he only caught attention of from the feeling of the air leaving his lungs. She remembered him. _Him_, not the monster that he was made out to be.

Moeru smiled softly, as if she saw the relief in his eyes, and turned back to the village, as if to look away to give him some sort of privacy that he could not have gotten with her watching, as if she could see past all his walls like they were glass. "What are you doing here, Gaara?" she asked again, once again with an un doubtable kindness and softness to her voice.

"I came to see you," he said simply.

"Because you needed to know I remembered you," she said. Not as a question. As the end of his answer.

"Yes," Gaara replied. He watched her as she looked out at the village she lived in, the village that was so disgustingly green that it made him sick to his stomach with the urge to burn the green into brown and blacks.

"Is that all you wanted?" Moeru asked, not turning back to him to look at him.

Gaara breathed in, and out, and in, and out. "Yes," he said finally.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, then, won't I?" Moeru asked, still gazing out at the quiet, shining night.

"Why are you out here?" he asked.

"Can't sleep. You can't, either, huh?"

"No," Gaara said.

"Yeah," Moeru murmured as she pulled her legs up from the ledge, hugging them against her chest. "I can't stop thinking about tomorrow. My mind just won't shut off. I think I'm nervous. Are you?"

"No," he told her simply.

Moeru smiled softly over at him. "Then why can't you sleep?"

Gaara's mind flashed with the response. He couldn't let Shukaku out. That's why. But he couldn't tell her that; he couldn't bring himself to tell the one person that might not know about the darkness within him what a monster he was.

"Hmm?" she insisted.

"I don't sleep much," he offered. It dodged the full answer, but it was the truth never the less.

"Well you should think about getting some tonight. You'll need a good rest to be at your best for tomorrow," Moeru suggested genuinely, a kind smile returning to her face.

Gaara almost smiled at that statement. He knew that sleep was never going to be an option, that the thought of sleep itself was laughable. But he simply nodded. "I'll think about it."

"Good," Moeru said, turning back to the village.

Gaara took one more long look at her, his one person of impact that was completely oblivious to what he was, before disappearing into the shadows of nighttime.

Moeru never even heard him leave. She smiled softly to herself, standing up from where she sat on the rooftop and jumping back to the tree, climbing back into her room through the window. She glanced out the window at the village once more before she slid the glass closed and locked it tightly shut, turning away and promptly putting herself to bed. It didn't take her even a minute to fall asleep.

_Finally_, Emi thought once she heard the quiet snores of her sister. _I thought she'd never fall asleep._ Pulling on her sweater, she tiptoed down the hall and down the stairs, slipping quietly into her shoes and walking out the door. Once she was outside, she was greeted by the subtle chill of the night against her legs. On nights like this, Emi couldn't resist a walk in the moonlight. Walking helped her clear her mind to the rhythm of her feet pounding against the sidewalk.

A shiver ran down her spine, so she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she walked. She loved the feeling of springtime after dark — chilled, but not too cold, like the perfect lemonade.

Her feet always led her somewhere different. It wasn't even a conscious decision of her own, her feet always seemed to know the way, and she would simply allow them to lead her on their way. After several minutes, though she could not tell you why she was there, she found that she had reached the training ground nearest to Sasuke's house — the same one that she had gone to two weeks ago when he'd pushed her buttons. Bemused, she complied and followed her feet into the forested training ground.

She couldn't help but laugh when a tree on the side of the path still showed the damage from her bloodied fists. She gingerly touched the spatters of blood with her fingertips, not sure if she was admiring her work or not when the low sound of _thuds_ reached her ears.

Turning her head, she tried to listen. Had she been a dog, her ears would have perked forward with the effort she put into trying to locate the sound, they were so inaudible. Finally, she determined they were coming from the West, so she followed the sound off the side of the path into the trees. The sound of the _thuds_ grew louder, so she knew that she was getting closer.

As Emi got closer, she started being able to discern small grunts of exertion laced into the sound of the _thuds_. Emi realized it was the sound of flesh and bones against a wooden dummy covered in thin fabric. _Is someone really up training right now? You would think they would give themselves a break to catch up on some sleep so that they just might be rested for tomorrow._

She followed the sound a little further, curious as to who it was that was so driven to push themselves to the point of ridiculousness the day before the next Exam. She reached a clearing, and was immediately thankful that the person's back was to her, as it turned out to be the same boy who she had met in the training field the first time. She couldn't remember his first name, but the image of his pure white eyes and elegant, gorgeous, consuming face could not have been erased from her brain if she had tried to force it. She blushed when she realized what she had just thought of him, but shook it off quickly. _I don't really feel like dealing with him,_ Emi thought. _If it had been anyone else, I'd have probably told them to give it a rest, but I think I'd be wasting my breath with this guy. I think I should just leave._

Just as she turned to leave, he called out, "Going so fast?"

She looked over at her shoulder, both surprised and taken aback. How had he seen her? "How did you…"

He stopped his bludgeoning of the wooden dummy and turned to look at her, his bright white eyes glimmering in the dark. She noted the veins around his eyes and mentally kicked herself. Of course, those eyes were the reason he knew she was there, even though she hadn't made a single sound. "What're you doing up?" he asked, a presumptuous tone to his voice. "Shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep?"

Emi frowned. She detested the smug sound in the way he said that. "Can't sleep. Too nervous. Burning off some steam. I take it you're doing the same?"

He laughed, as if she had told a joke that genuinely amused him — at least, she assumed that was what he would sound like when he was genuinely amused. It seemed unlikely that he knew how to laugh in a way that could be any warmer than that dull chuckle he let out. "Me? Nervous?" He snickered again.

Emi folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, tough guy, so why are you out here training? Shouldn't _you_ be getting _your_ beauty sleep?"

The boy smirked smugly, turning away from her without replying. Emi couldn't help but notice the flash of the moonlight against a silver chain. That necklace.

"I see you got that necklace back," she mentioned with a grin just as he moved to resume his training. She noticed how the mention of her subtle kindness made him stiffen up with a slightly sadistic pleasure.

Her turned back to her slowly. "Yeah, I did." He glanced at her.

"You could say 'Thank you'. You know, because that's what people say." She grinned at him.

The boy's face creased into a frown with his eyebrows drawn heavily down. He let out a muffled sigh. "Thank you," he muttered after a long while.

She smiled, half-genuine, half-sarcastically. "You're welcome."

The two sat in a bit of silence. Finally, Emi spoke again. "Would it be too nosy of me if I were to ask what it is with that necklace? I didn't really peg you for the jewelry type, so I figure it might have some sort of meaning…" Emi cut herself off. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that. It didn't sound that nosy in my head, but it really is." She laughed uncomfortably at herself.

Neji shook his head. "It's fine. It's just something from my parents," he said, instantly mentally kicking himself for offering any sort of personal information to this girl.

"Oh, like a birthday present?"

"Something like that." Again, he kicked himself. _Stop it,_ he ordered himself.

Emi nodded, smiling, this time a real, true smile. "I have something like that," she said, her head turning upward to look at the stars. "My mom gave me a hair brush for my sixth birthday." She laughed at herself. "It's tiny, but it's my favorite thing in the world."

"Why?" Neji couldn't stop himself from asking. "Wouldn't you have liked something more recent they got you?"

Her smile turned slightly glum, and she looked down from the sky, kicking the dirt nervously. "Actually… my parents died about a few months after my sixth birthday. That was the last birthday present I'd gotten from them."

He frowned a soft frown. "I'm sorry. I lost my parents when I was young, too."

He kicked himself yet again.

Emi smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry. It's not a great thing to go through, is it? It changes you forever."

He nodded. He didn't trust himself to say anything else.

Emi shivered again in the cold night. "It's getting late. I'm going to go," she said. "I'm glad you got your necklace. I guess it's pretty important to you."

"It is," he replied. Sick of yelling at himself in his head, he just waved it off as nothing she didn't already know.

She smiled again. "See you around, then," she said friendly. When he said nothing in return, only nodding, she nodded back and turned away, heading back toward her house to go to sleep.

As she walked away, all Neji could think about was why this girl could get him to talk about his most heavily guarded memories. He didn't even know her name.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Alright! Part 3! This chapter was actually a lot longer, but upon further consideration, I moved the chapter break. So, I'm almost half-way done with Chapter 14(: I might finish it tonight, I might not. Depends on if I get the rest of my homework done. Haha oh, school...**

**Anyway! On to the story! :DD Make sure you press that cute little review button at the bottom of the page! (:**

* * *

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

**By LexLogikk**

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Third Person Point of View_

* * *

There was a spark in the air when Moeru woke up the next morning with the sunlight peeking into her room, splashed across her tan-colored carpet and lighting up the whole room. She found that she was already smiling and buzzing with excitement that coursed through her veins and tickled at her fingertips as she hurried to get ready. She went across the hall to wake up her sister, only to find that she was already up, bouncing with the same kind of energy. "Good morning," the two greeted each other. Emi smiled as she fumbled around with the clasp to her kunai holster that wrapped around her leg. "You ready for today?" Emi asked her littler sister.

Moeru couldn't respond in any other way but, "yes!" She smirked excitedly. "You?"

Emi nodded back to her sister, finally getting the holster to stay in place. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'm pumped. I can't wait!"

The two laughed. "Well, hurry up and finish getting ready. We have to leave soon if we're gonna be early."

"Or on-time, according to Yama-sensei, right?" Emi grinned and winked at her sister.

"Yes," Moeru agreed amusedly. "Or on-time." She smirked and left the room to pack her own holsters full of her tools.

Emi smiled, bemused. She grabbed the three other holsters that she wore around her thighs and secured them around her legs before filling up the pouches of her utility belt. She turned to look at herself in her full-length mirror, admiring her image. Her training with Yama had been paying off in the tone of her muscle, she noticed with pride. She just hoped that her training would be enough to get her through the next Exam.

She stepped out into the hall, pulling on her favorite black jacket, the one that hung past the hem of her shorts, just as Moeru stepped out of her own room in her usual attire. Moeru smirked. "Ready to go?"

"Yep," Emi said. "Let's get going. Iyasu and Yama are probably going to be waiting for us to get there already."

"I can't wait for breakfast!" Moeru said excitedly as they hurried out the door.

The two of them scurried across the town as quickly as they could to meet the rest of their team for their morning meal.

Yama welcomed them as they arrived. "Good morning, you two. You both get enough sleep last night?" she asked.

"Yes, sensei," they replied simultaneously, earning entertained giggles from the both of them and an amused smile from their sensei.

Yama flipped the long black hair off of her shoulder. "Good. Let's make sure you get fed properly. Iyasu is already inside." She smirked and turned around, moving to go inside the restaurant.

The sisters followed their sensei into the restaurant. They followed her to the back of the restaurant where they joined Iyasu and ate their fill of food that filled up their stomachs until they could eat no more. Finally, once everyone had finished with their food, Yama looked at her three students with a serious expression. "So," she started. "Are you guys ready for today?" she asked, looking each of her students in the eyes.

They all immediately responded positively. "Yeah, of course sensei!"

"Definitely, sensei! I was born ready!"

"I've been waiting for this for weeks!"

Yama smiled proudly at her students. They certainly had grown in her time with them. "Just promise me you three will stick together in there. It's a whole different world in that arena."

The three of them all look at each other before nodding at their sensei. "Of course. We're a team."

"Good," Yama said. "Then it's time to be going. You're going to be late to the second Exam if you don't get leaving."

Her team smiled at her enthusiastically. "Right!" The three of them scurried to exit the restaurant and hurry off toward the forested training ground they were due to be at. Emi couldn't help but lose the fight to the butterflies that were flitting around in her stomach and lungs as they saw the mass of students standing outside the training ground. It's time! Emi thought excitedly. It's time! It's finally time!

Finally, they reached the rest of the students that had clustered around, waiting for the examiners to begin the test. Emi looked around — they were the first of their age group to reach the training ground, apparently, because she did not see a single familiar face.

She glanced over at her sister, who seemed to also be bouncing with energy. "Ah, I wish they would hurry up and start the exam. I don't know how long I can stand waiting like this!" Moeru said, boiling over with excitement.

"I know, I know," Iyasu added in with a grin. "This is going to take far too long. I can't wait to get in there."

"What do you think we'll be doing in there?" Emi asked the other two.

Iyasu and Moeru both shrugged. "I don't know," Moeru admitted. "With any luck, we'll be fighting something in there."

"Hopefully," Iyasu echoed.

Anko, the woman from yesterday, dropped down in front of all the students, looking around at each of them. "Alright! Everybody, gather up! I'm not gonna explain this twice, so you're going to want to listen up," she announced, pausing to give everyone a chance to quiet down.

"Alright, so this is how things are going to work: you all will be going into this training ground behind me," she told them with a sadistic smile. "It's nicknamed the Forest of Death," she added, a flash in her eyes. "Back in the day, the fights you would engage in inside this chain-link fence would be to the death. Unfortunately, killing during the Chuunin Selection exams is now grounds for immediate disqualification.

"Anyway, you will each be given one of two scrolls — each scroll will have either 'Heaven' or 'Earth' written on it. Your goal will be to collect the other scroll to make a complete scroll. That means if you are given a Heaven scroll, you will be looking for an Earth scroll, and vise versa." Anko smiled darkly. "As you can tell, this means that only half of you will be able to proceed on in after this test, assuming all scrolls are recovered and returned to the central tower."

There was a muttering between all the Genin.

"You will have 3 days to complete the task. Any of those who have not reached the center tower by sunset on the third day with both a Heaven and Earth scroll will automatically be disqualified. Only those who have both scrolls and are at the tower by the deadline will be allowed to continue on in these exams. Understood?" Anko asked, looking around at all the Genin.

"Alright, then," she continued. "Everyone will be assigned a gate from which to enter the forest and will be given a scroll. You will be behind these barriers so that no other teams know which scroll you have. Once everyone has received their scrolls, we will line you all up around the perimeter of the forest, and the test will begin." Anko smirked at all the Genin. "Good luck, to all," she said before jumping away, contemplating all the dumplings she was going to eat.

Emi looked over at her team. "Yes!" she exclaimed finally. "We're battling!"

Moeru was shaking with excitement. "I can't wait to get in there. Survival skills and battle skills. What kind of things do you think will be in there?"

"I'm not sure," Iyasu said, a contemplative look on his face. "But we have to make sure we set up shelter and find a source for both food and water before we think about getting into battle."

"Of course," Emi said with a smirk. "Can't kick anyone's ass if we are dying of starvation."

Moeru bounced on the balls of her feet. "Let's get in line to get a scroll. I want to hurry up as much as we can."

The blonde girl smiled. "You're ridiculously excited, aren't you? I've never seen you like this before. It's rather impressive."

Moeru winked at her sister. "I'm just ready to prove that we can do this. You know, that we deserve to be Chuunin. We're good enough. And I can't wait to make sure everyone knows it."

Emi and Iyasu both laughed in chorus. "We are good enough. So let's prove it," Emi said with a grin.

"Let's," Iyasu said, his purple eyes sparkling with excitement.

Emi put her hand in the center of the group. "Ready to do this? As a team?"

Moeru and Iyasu didn't even hesitate to put their hands on top of hers. "Definitely," Iyasu chimed.

Emi grinned. "Good. Let's stick together in there."

"Always," Moeru said.

"Chuunin on three?" Emi asked with a perked eyebrow and a grin on her face.

"Chuunin on three. Just not too loud," Moeru said with a matching smirk.

"One,"

"Two,"

"Three! Chuunin!" the three said together, throwing their hands up. Moeru smiled at her team. "Let's go get that scroll."

The three of them made their way to the side wall of the forest, where there were stations set up for people to be given scrolls. Finally, the group made it through the line, filing into the small dugout. The screen slid shut behind them.

One of the examiners stood at the back of the dugout, with black hair and dead-looking eyes. "Alright, who is your Jounin?" he asked, a bored look on his face, likely from the on going tediousness of his task.

"Yama Tomi, from the Leaf village," Emi said, taking on the role of spokesperson.

"Ahh, Yama's kids," the man said, a grin in his eyes. "She treating you well?"

"She's great," Emi said politely. "Thank you for asking."

He nodded. "Well, you kids will be entering the forest from gate 18, which will be a ways to the left of where we are now." He reached into a bag behind him, pulling out a scroll, mostly green with a white seal wrapped around it. When he handed it to Emi, she saw that the seal had "Earth" written on it. "Don't mention which scroll you have until you have entered the forest and are away from others. The other examiners are supposed to be keeping people from listening in on this, but you never know what kind of shinobi there are — some of them might be able to hear us anyway."

"Thank you," Emi said, bowing respectively to the examiner, Moeru and Iyasu following suit.

"You're welcome," he said, returning to a bored monotone. "Good luck in the second Chuunin exam." He turned to a clipboard hanging on the wall and flipped through papers, marking off something, which Emi presumed to be her team. Emi smiled at her teammates as she put the scroll away with a nod to tell them that she would take care of their scroll without saying it. She slipped the scroll into one of the many pouches hanging from her body. With a final goodbye to the examiner, the three of them left the room. All of them then decided to make their way to the gate they were assigned to - gate 18, which indeed turn out to be a great distance away from where they started, almost on the completely opposite side of the seemingly perfectly circular forest.

Finally, they reached the gate, a large 18 hanging over the doorway. Emi sighed, leaning against the chain fence. "I can't wait till they open the gates. I'm ready to go, already," she said, watching as teams began to slowly line up at their own designated gates. She found herself looking for Sasuke, but saw no one familiar around her.

"I agree," Moeru said. "I hope they don't have too many more teams to go through before the exam starts. We need to get this thing going," she said exasperatedly.

"Just relax, guys," Iyasu said to calm his teammates. "It'll start soon enough. We were in the middle of the line, and they probably got through the rest of the line in the time that we took to get all the way around the arena. Besides, it's not going to be a whole lot of action in the beginning anyway, so it might be a good idea to calm down a little so that we don't rush right into anything. Let's start out with a level head so that we approach this thing right."

Emi laughed. "Since when are you the voice of reason?" she asked teasingly. "I thought Moeru was the old guy of the group."

"Hey!" Moeru said objectively.

Emi winked at her sister. "You know it's true," she said with a playful tone.

Just as Emi started to continue on, the three of them heard a voice over a megaphone. "The Second Chuunin Exam is about to begin. Teams, please ready yourselves in front of your assigned gates."

Moeru couldn't quite tell if it was Anko's voice or not, but she assumed it wasn't — it seemed too mellowed down. Never the less, Emi, Moeru, and Iyasu all readied themselves to bolt into the forest, all of them peering intently at the trees within, the deep forest that seemed to go on forever into pitch blackness.

"The Second Chuunin Exam will begin in five seconds. Five, four, three, two, one! Begin!" the voice called, the chain fences swinging open to allow the teams all entrance to the forest. Emi, Moeru, and Iyasu all shot forward, springing into the forest with great, intensive speed. As they wound through the trees, keeping low to the ground because they knew most of the others would travel through the tree tops, they began to hear the sounds of critters and creatures that lived in the arms of the trees.

Moeru finally led the team to a clearing after about twenty minutes of running through the trees, following the stream they had found earlier on. They made sure not to stop anywhere too far away from the stream, but knew better than to make camp directly next to it; to do that would be to simply ask to be found. "Let's wait around here for a while, see if anyone else comes through. If it's good, we'll set up a camp here and use this as our grouping point."

"Want me to scout the perimeter?" Emi asked. "Make sure we can know if there's someone coming before they actually get to us?"

Moeru nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "Sounds good. You run faster than the rest of us, so you'll be able to take care of the perimeter. Throw a kunai toward the center of the clearing if you hear or see someone coming so that we can ready ourselves."

"Alrighty, sis. Iyasu, you want to get a fire pit started? Don't light it, just get it made."

Iyasu nodded. "Sure thing."

"And I suppose I'll set up some traps around the area so that we can have so peace of mind," Moeru suggested.

Emi nodded. "One more thing," she said before the other two turned away. "We should set up a code to let each other know we really are who we say we are. You know — because it's so easy to just use a transformation jutsu to look like someone else. I want to be able to trust you guys."

Moeru nodded back, a thoughtful look on her face. "So how about we answer questions about our training with Yama-sensei. Like what we did on our first day of practice, and where we went with her for the first few weeks, what we did then, et cetera. Sound good?"

Iyasu nodded. "Or stuff about what we've been working on. Like our abilities and jutsus and times we've had through training. Specifics."

Emi nodded. "Good. Any time we're separated, we have to answer a question like that, so keep them in mind for each other. And no two people can leave. Two people needs to stay at camp at all times, so that there's a voucher system for the people returning."

Moeru laughed. "Emi, you're getting too deep into this. Just go watch the perimeter."

The blonde rolled her eyes, but laughed slightly as well. "Right. I'll be back."

"Try to stay where I can see you!" Moeru shot out teasingly as her sister left. "Wouldn't want to have to tell me what your birthday is!"

"Shut up!" Emi shot back with a snicker as she started running through the trees, keeping a careful eye out for any kind of movement around camp. I can't believe we're finally in the second exam, she thought as she ran. It's finally time to show the examiners what we've got. I just hope someone stumbles across us soon. She laughed to herself as she got a thought. Maybe we should set up camp and then go looking for trouble. We're a strong enough team, pretty well balanced… we'll probably be able to take on whoever we come across. And if we find them, we can always choose to ignore them and find a different group. If we sit like ducks in a pond, we'll only get to fight whoever finds us. That won't be much fun.

She grinned. Well, I'll finish this sweep and pitch it to Moeru and Iyasu. I'm sure they don't want to wait for the grass to grow, either. They're just as aggressive as I am, or about so.

Emi nodded, having made up her mind, and continued her watch of the perimeter of the clearing, looking around intently. If I find someone before, though, we can jump on it. That would be great.

Just then, she heard the sound of a branch snapping, someone falling out of a tree a relatively short distance away from her, and birds flying away swiftly from the great sound of disturbance. Emi couldn't stop the grin that automatically reached her face. She took out a kunai from her pouch, turned toward the clearing where Iyasu and Moeru were, and threw it, watching it sink into the ground, closer to Moeru than Iyasu. Moeru looked up at Emi with curiosity, which Emi answered by holding up a hand, palm toward Moeru. Moeru knew that meant that Emi was going to check it out before they made their attack. Emi then waved her hand slightly to tell them to follow along with her, just in case, and the two of them did just that.

Emi turned and started to stealthily make her way over to the sound. As she got closer, she began to hear the sound of groans — the person that had fallen obviously had not broken their fall, and had hit the ground quite hard. The thought made Emi shake with excitement. Finally, Emi could see the team. She wasn't sure what village they were from, but they definitely seemed novice to her, not at all aware that there were any other teams in the entire forest, let alone of her presence, or the presence of her teammates. They seemed to be about their age, but as Emi got closer and was able to distinctly hear their voices, she knew they weren't from the hidden leaf village.

"Jeez Hiro! Why are you so god damned loud!" one of them said, not himself quietly. "You're going to get us caught by someone!"

"I'm going to get us caught?" a different boy said, Emi assumed the one addressed as Hiro. "You're the one yelling!"

"Shut up, both of you!" their last teammate said authoritatively. "You're both being loud, and therefore both of you just need to stop talking."

Too late, Emi thought smugly. She turned, looking over her shoulder at Moeru and Iyasu, and signaled them. She nodded, holding up three fingers as they positioned themselves. She counted down. They pounced.

The other team didn't even know what hit them. Each of them attacked a different member of the opposing team, lashing out quickly. Moeru went after the leader, with fireballs shooting out at him in controlled bursts that hit him square in the chest. Iyasu went after Hiro, the boy who had fallen from the tree in the first place, landing one of his blows on the boy's left arm, air pressure puncturing straight through the meaty tissue. Emi, then, took the last of the three, landing two specific blows, the first to his jaw that sent him off his balance, the second to his chest, before grappling with him, attaching chakra strings to his wrists and attaching those to kunai, planting the kunai in the ground so that he could not move his arms; she finished him with a kick to the abdomen that landed him flat on his back, the air knocked out of his lungs.

Moeru swept the legs of her opponent, pinning him to the ground quickly with a knee on his chest and a kunai knife to his throat. "Where is your scroll?" she demanded, putting a dark tone to her voice to intensify her threat. "Where is it?" she demanded again quickly.

He looked at her stubbornly, as if he were about to try to put up a fight. Moeru pushed the kunai against his neck threateningly. "Where… is… it?" she asked again.

The boy frowned deeply. She could see the curses he was stringing in his mind about his team. "Achiko has it."

Moeru turned to look at Emi, who had the other boy, who swiftly searched the boy for the scroll. She finally found it in the kunai pouch on his thigh, and pulled it out. She frowned when she saw that it was an Earth scroll, holding it up for the others. "Earth," she announced.

Moeru also frowned, but shook it off quickly, turning to the boy she was kneeling on top of to pin to the ground. "Thank you for your cooperation," she said smugly. "Put 'em down, guys," she said suddenly to her teammates, her fingers quickly reaching the pressure point on the boy's neck that made him pass out. Once he was unconscious, she stood up, looking over to the others. "Well, that was for nothing," she said as the others knocked out their opponents.

Iyasu shook his head. "Not at all. We can use this as a bargaining chip if we get in a pinch. And if we don't, that's one more team that can't go on. Anko never said we couldn't have more than two scrolls, just that we needed to have both a Heaven and an Earth scroll."

"True," Emi said with a nod. "This is a good thing, either way. Besides, think of it as a notch in our headboard, only without the sex and with battles instead. One team down, however many we can get at before the test ends to go!" she said with a grin.

The other two laughed. "Alright," Moeru said. "Why don't I take that one, so that we can keep one if we lose a battle? If we lose, we give up my scroll, not yours. Alright?"

Emi nodded as she tossed her sister the scroll. "Sounds good!" She smirked. "But I'm kind of feeling like going after someone else. Got that fighting urge in me now."

Moeru and Iyasu gave her an unsure look. "You think it's a good idea?" Moeru finally asked.

"Yeah, while we're still on our guard. Don't you think? While we're in the gear."

Iyasu shrugged. "I guess we never really got camp started…" he said.

Moeru sighed and nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

So the three of them set off to find another opponent. They made their ways through the forest, but minutes trickled by little by little, flowing into hour by hour, and the still had yet to come across anyone else. The only other human contact they'd gotten was when the sound of blood-curling screams reached their ears, and they all decided immediately that it would be best if they avoided the source of the sound, just to be safe. Finally, they all agreed to break to eat, Iyasu watching over the area as Emi and Moeru caught fish from the stream and cooked them over a fire. Their only disturbance was a snake slithering over Moeru's foot, causing Emi to shriek out in surprise. They then spent the rest of lunch on the run, eating while they ran, just to make sure they wouldn't be around for anyone that heard Emi scream. Moeru made sure to give her sister a slightly soured look before laughing as they packed up.

Once they had finished eating, they began to patrol for perspective battles again, but alas, they found no one else that day. The sun began to set, a shade starting fall over the forest, and the team agreed that it was time to set up camp for the night. The new clearing they found wasn't as good as the first they had found at the beginning of the day, but it would do for the night. They set up a few traps around their camp before their sleeping bags in the crevice between two very large tree roots, Iyasu agreeing to stay up and take the first watch.

Emi sighed as she settled into her bed roll, sinking into the warm fabric gratefully. But before she ever got the chance to fall asleep, she heard a rustling in the bushes to the right. Her eyes peered at the bush, and upon seeing nothing, she looked at Iyasu with curiosity in her eyes.

The brown haired boy smiled at her softly, shaking his head. "It was nothing. Go to sleep," he assured her.

Emi nodded back, but couldn't keep from pulling out a kunai from one of the pouches still fastened to her leg under her covers. She felt safer with the cold metal weapon in her hand. She drifted off into a light sleep.


End file.
